Wish
by Miss Starfire
Summary: What happens when after the failed wedding, Akane wishes she could stop loving Ranma, and her wish is granted? What will Ranma do to earn back her love?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**What happens when after the failed wedding, Akane wishes she could stop loving Ranma, and her wish is granted? What will Ranma do to earn back her love?

**Disclaimer:**We all know none of us own Ranma 1/2, so let's move on

**A/N:**Don't worry, this is not another WAT or FA. This is a more everyday Ranma story. The plot is overdone, but I thought I'd give it a try.

**Chapter 1****  
**

The Tendo home had been the scene of a battle. A battle between all of the most selfish acts anyone involved had seen, so far. The broken China rested in pieces on the wooden floors of the Dojo. The food, that had been so carefully prepared by Kasumi, was scattered all over the tables, and some even dripped from the walls and ceiling. Human-shaped holes on the shoji doors allowed for anyone to see outside the room that had been deemed the reception hall. The chaos continued outside in the form of crumpled up gift wrappers, broken chairs and tables, and what remained of a beautiful wedding cake.

Yet, above all, the remnants of the item that caused the most pain to Akane were pieces of the broken wooden barrel that had once contained the Nannichuan. Nannichuan. The reason behind this wedding; the source of Ranma's cure. Had her father not jumped the gun and blackmailed her into marrying Ranma so he could cure his curse, her home would not resemble a battlefield now. Had his father not selfishly stolen the cure from Soun, her heart would not be broken into pieces smaller than the fragments of the fine China itself.

Why had she agreed to this madness? Every other time she had declined, yelling at the top of her lungs that she would never be interested in such an insensitive man. What had been different this time? What had possibly changed her mind, overnight, enough to make her want to go through with one of her father's devious plans?

Him; It had been him. The man she had labeled as the most despicable one of all had changed her mind.

The insensitivity he so nonchalantly displayed every day was now a façade to her. She had seen the real side of him, his human side. The side that held her in his arms back in Jusendo, imploring her to come back to him. The side that pushed the broken man to tears, and to declare his love for her. Ranma Saotome could no longer be called an insensitive man, not by her at least. Or, so she had thought.

She recalled the conversation they had when he stormed inside her room, demanding to know why she had agreed to the impromptu wedding. Surely, she would share his disgust at their parent's low attempts to join the schools. Surely, she would see this farce for what it was, and would immediately side with him to stop it at all costs.

Yet, she did not.

He took a step inside her room to see her wearing the most precious wedding gown he had ever seen. His defenses were lost when she turned to face him, a look of love on her face. What was she doing? Did she really want to spend the rest of her life with him?

The moment was sweet while it lasted, but was cut short by the realization of the prize Soun held behind closed doors. Ranma was torn between recovering his manhood, and being forced to marry his fiancée without their say, and in a rush. It was not as if he did not want to eventually marry her, but the current situation was not what he had had in mind. His fears were heightened when Akane revealed to him that she had heard him speak to her cold body. He had meant every word he said, but now, outside the heat of the moment, he felt ashamed and insecure all over again.

After their short lived argument, all hell broke loose. His other fiancées made their appearance, and his fiancée's suitors also showed up to liven up the war that was already taking place. Amidst all the chaos, his cure had been lost to a drunken Happosai looking for an easy fix. His hopes of recovery shattered at seeing the decrepit old man ingest the entire contents of the barrel.

At the end of the day, the wedding had been postponed, indefinitely. He and Akane had exchanged their typical insults, blaming each other for the destruction of the place. Regardless of whose fault it was, everyone involved pitched in to salvage whatever could be reused, and tossing out whatever had been lost.

After everything was said and done, Akane went inside her bedroom and finally collapsed on her bed. It had been hours since everyone had already gone to bed, and yet she still lay awake, digging her nails into her pillow as it muffled her pained sobs. She did not cry for the broken plates. She did not cry for the torn wedding gown that had ended up in the trash as it was deemed beyond repair. She did not cry for the wasted time or lost gifts.

She cried for herself. She cried because her illusions that things would change between her and Ranma had been nothing more than just that: Illusions that would never see the day. When Ranma had denied his feelings for her, she felt her world lose its sense. Had he been lying to her all this time? Was there really no chance she held a small piece of his heart? She knew he held all of hers, and the hope that he could return the feelings she held inside had been crushed when he returned to his cocky self.

"Why, Ranma? After everything I've done for you!" the shattered girl mumbled to herself. In this world of his, where spells, magic and curses were the norm, why was there not an easy fix for her unrequited love? Why had she not found the way to erase her love for him, once and for all, from her heart? She prayed to the gods above her, to someday be freed of the chains that kept her coming back to him. She prayed they gave her the strength she needed to move on from the latest attack on her already weakened heart. She prayed that one day she would wake up without a care in her life, knowing that Ranma was nothing more than just another tenant of her house.

She wished for it all to be mended as her tears put her to sleep. Unbeknownst to her, the gods were listening to her request. And, without her knowing, they would be merciful enough to grant her wish.

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**A/N:** Something easy to keep me busy. Subscribe if you like, review if you love!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Akane's eyes fluttered opened the morning after the terrible ordeal, though now it seemed as if it had been nothing more than a bad dream. She stared at the ceiling of her room, recalling random memories of the events of the day before, and suddenly realizing that her consultation with the pillow made things seem a lot better than they were. She stretched her arms above her head before she pulled off the covers from her. She sat on the edge of the bed and cranked her neck from side to side to pop the last traces of the cleanup duty she endured last night.

She stood up from bed and neared her window. She opened the curtains and stared outside as the sun had just begun to rise. She slid the window open and allowed the fresh air to invade her senses and her room. It was the perfect day for her morning jog. Feeling her energy replenished and her spirits raised, she walked away from the window and headed to her closet to grab a pair of shorts, a blouse, her tennis shoes, and a small towel to wrap around her neck.

The door to her room opened to reveal a young woman, full of energy, and without a care in the world. She stretched her muscles as she walked down the hall, heading to the stairs. Once she arrived at the end of the staircase, she opened the front door to her home to reveal a boy with blue eyes, staring at her as he had tried to open the door from the outside himself.

The boy in question retracted his hand from where the doorknob had been just a second ago, and scratched the back of his neck, uncertain of how to address Akane after yesterday's fiasco. Akane stared back at his blue eyes, wondering why he was just standing there saying nothing. She decided it was not important, so she moved past him, carefully patting him twice on the back as she did.

"Good morning, Ranma!"

The boy turned around, surprised at her lack of reaction. He watched her run away from him and disappeared behind the closed gate, as she headed to her morning run. Ranma finally found his voice and uttered a salutation to her, but it was too late for her to hear. He shrugged at the small, unexpected encounter before he walked inside the home and took a bath to clean his body after his own morning jog.

Akane took an hour to return home and when she did, the family was already gathered around the table, ready to eat Kasumi's breakfast food. Akane waved at her family as she went inside the home, and informed her family that she was going to take a quick shower before joining them for the family feast. Five minutes after Ranma had seen her run inside the house from his usual spot at the table, Akane was back and sat next to him, catching her breath as she did.

"That was a long run, Akane," Kasumi offered her younger sister.

"Yes! I just have a lot of energy I had to burn."

Ranma, not missing a beat, added his input to her comment.

"Well, of course you _would_ have a lot of energy! How else would you be able to keep up with that bad temper of yours, Akane?"

The table went silent and paused to stare at Ranma, upset at his inopportune comment. Kasumi shook her head in obvious disapproval of the uncalled for remark from Ranma while Nabiki rolled her eyes, waiting for the argument to start between the two lovebirds. Akane stared at Ranma with a face he could not read. His smug smile slowly disappeared when he saw his attempt at starting their usual banter had no impact on her. She shrugged and returned to her breakfast without a second thought.

"I guess you're right, Ranma. I should really start working on toning it down, uh?"

The eyes of the astonished relatives looked all around the room, staring at the couple and then at themselves, wondering if this was another one of Akane's fake outs before she took out her mallet and sent Ranma for a morning swim at the family pond. After a few seconds of no other reaction from the blue-haired girl, the family resumed their morning routines

Ranma, on the other hand, was left with his jaw hitting the floor. He opened and closed his mouth, as he searched for the best response that would get a spark out of her, but when he found none, he closed his mouth and remained silent for the rest of meal. He stole a few sidelong glances at his fiancée, but she seemed to be minding her own business, completely unaware of the whirlwind of questions inside his head.

After breakfast was gone, Akane offered Kasumi her assistance to wash the dishes, and Kasumi gratefully accepted the help. As she and Kasumi got busy in the kitchen, Ranma walked by the entrance of such room, peaking inside when he thought no one was looking. After his fifth peak, Nabiki appeared behind him, looking at him with a suspicious eye as he yelped and fell to the floor, at her surprise appearance.

"What gives, Nabiki? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Nabiki, not at all fazed by his heavy breaths and the hand on his chest, crouched in front of him and poked his chest. "Are you worried that my little sister is mad at you?"

Ranma visibly flinched. If anyone noticed his discomfort at Akane's indifference this morning, it would have been Nabiki. She was always looking for a way to make a buck, and this in turn made her very in tune with her surroundings, including the people around her.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just making sure Kasumi doesn't need more help!"

Nabiki chuckled at his piss poor attempt to deny his true thoughts. She stood up and allowed the boy to do the same. Once they both stood upright, she crossed her hands on her chest and rested her shoulder on the wall. "Don't think I didn't notice she practically ignored you this morning. I don't know what she's planning, but I would be very worried if I were you. Akane doesn't deal well with bottling up anger, and after what you did to her yesterday, I'd be very, very afraid of her right now."

"What I did? I didn't do shit! It was our parents, and Shampoo and…"

Nabiki scoffed, interrupting his ever repeating speech of blaming everyone but himself. "Think whatever you want, Ranma. But, beware. I knew Akane would one day come to her senses and grow tired of your antics. It seems the day is here sooner than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see, Ranma? She's done waiting for you to be a man for her! Pity, after everything she did for you in China, you would think you'd be nicer to her."

Ranma clenched his fists, clearly insulted at Nabiki's insinuation that he did not know he owed his life to her. If it had not been for her quick thinking and selfless acts, he would have never been able to use that final attack on Saffron back in Jusendo.

Nabiki smiled when she noticed she had struck a cord, and placed her hands on the back of her head as she walked away from Ranma.

"Just watch and see, Ranma-kun. I guarantee you and your dad will be out of the house in no time."

Ranma clenched his jaw at the arrogant Tendo sister. He turned around and decided to head to the dojo to blow off some steam.

_"Akane is just pretending, that's all,"_ the boy said to himself. _"Tomorrow, when we go back to school, everything will be back to normal."_

He spent most part of the afternoon practicing until exhaustion took over, making him go back inside the home and taking his second shower of the day. When he exited the bathroom, he walked by Akane's room and was tempted to go in. He stood outside, thinking what he could possibly talk to her about, but nothing came to mind. After a few minutes, he decided that Nabiki had been correct in some of her crazy ideas, and that he needed to at least apologize for ruining her big day.

He knocked on the door three times, and he heard Akane inviting him in. He opened the door and found her sitting on her bed, with a magazine in her hands.

"Oh, hi Ranma! What brings you here?"

Ranma, who had just gotten out of the shower, was glistening with drops of water running down his chest and back. He only wore a white pair of pants as he waited for his body to dry. His feet were bare, and his hair was slightly damp. Akane watched as her fiancée walked inside, closed the door behind him, and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor. Akane bent her legs under her, to her side, and put down on her lap the magazine she was reading.

"Is everything OK?"

Ranma started nodding his head, but quickly changed it a rapid shake. "I came to apologize, Akane."

"Apologize? For what?"

Ranma, shocked by her response, turned around to face her, leaving only one leg dangling from the edge of the bed. He took a moment to admire her as she rested her back at the cornered wall of the bed. He looked at her, up and down, remembering how beautiful she had looked in her wedding gown, just hours ago. He cleared his throat and slid closer to her, leaving but a few inches between her legs and his.

"You know, about yesterday. I didn't know Nabiki had invited all the maniacs in Nerima. And, also about fucking up the day for you. Next time, I'll prescreen the invitations before they go out, neh?"

Akane's response was to giggle. Ranma was taken aback and waited until her small laughter stopped.

"You're still going on about that? Forget about it, Ranma. I knew since the beginning it wasn't going to work. One day our parents will realize that it wasn't meant to be and they will leave us alone. For now, I'll just play along."

Ranma leaned over and placed his hand over her forehead. Her eyes followed the movement and stared at his hand, making her eyes cross in order to stare at the gesture. Ranma then returned the same hand from her forehead and placed it on his.

"You don't have a fever. Are you sick?"

Akane chuckled again and picked up her magazine, returning to her read.

"You act very weird sometimes, Ranma. Did you know that?"

"Only around you."

Ranma saw Akane look up from her magazine and give him a questioning look. He waited for the stuttering response, the tint of red on her face, or the gawking stare at his slightly romantic comment. Yet, none of them came. Instead, her response made him feel as if she had just stabbed him in his chest and then dropped lemon juice on the open wound.

"Then you shouldn't hang around me that much, anymore. Your other fiancées are going to start suspecting something."

Ranma stood up, hurt by her comment. What game was she trying to play? Was this her way to make him take back his denial of the feelings he confessed to her in Jusenkyo?

"Is that how it is, Akane? You're gonna ignore me until you feel I had enough? Jeez, woman! I already apologized to you. What more do you want?"

"Ranma, I don't know what…"

"Don't, Akane. I'm not stupid. Why don't you call me when you're ready to apologize to me?"

"Ranma…"

But her words were not heard. He walked out her room, slamming the door as he did. Akane stared at the now closed door before shrugging off the argument. "Who pissed in his water bottle, I wonder."

Ranma, who was still standing behind the door, closed his eyes when he heard her dismissive comment. He had done his part. Whether or not Akane wanted to do hers, it was up to her.

_"I don't care what an uncute, klutzy, tomboy does with her time. There are plenty of other girls dying to be with me."_

While the statement was true, he also knew that he did not want to spend his time with the other girls. He had made his decision a long time ago regarding who his heart belonged to, and her support in his battle in Jusenkyo had reinforced it. He reverted to his original plan of giving Akane some time and space to come around on her on.

_ "Tomorrow's another day,"_ he thought, as he left for his room to spend the rest of the day inside. School resumed tomorrow, and after being out for several days due to their adventure in China, he knew they would both have a difficult time catching up.

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**A/N:** YAY! People already subscribed and reviewed! Like I said, this will be story with a different format than my other two. The plot is more relaxed, and the chapters will be much shorter than usual. The idea is to just show random moments where Ranma does his best to win Akane back. Don't expect complex plots or consistent updates; this is my chillax story ^_^ Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3****  
**

Ranma walked on his favorite side of the street –the fence, on his lonely journey to school. His face showed his displeasure at having to walk by himself, as Akane had left way before him, without even having the decency to let him know in advance. He finally arrived at the end of the fence, and he jumped back to the sidewalk to continue his walk. A few minutes later, Ranma arrived at Furinkan High, just before the tardy bell rang.

By the time he made it to his classroom, the teacher was standing at the door with a bucket of water in his hands. Ranma sighed as he grabbed it and stood outside holding it for the remainder of the class. Once the bell rang to signify the passing period, Ranma returned the bucket of water to the teacher, who in turn handed him his assignments for the day.

"I expect them, completed by you, on my desk, first thing tomorrow, Saotome."

Ranma grabbed the papers and shoved them inside his bag before his fiancée walked out the door and crashed into his chest. He instinctively caught her and placed his arms around her. When she recovered from the hit, she looked up and smiled at Ranma before pushing herself away from his arms and scratching the back of her head.

"Gomen'nasai, Ranma-kun. I didn't see you there."

"Clumsy as always, Akane," he taunted her.

"Hai! I'm working on it," Akane responded before the bell rung again. She yelped before pushing Ranma out of the way and yelling she was going to be late for her next class. Ranma watched her run away from him, again, for the second time in 24 hours. His shoulders fell and he walked the other way, heading for his own classroom. It was not until he reached his desk for his second class that Akane's words hit him.

_"Did she call me Ranma-kun?"_

His thoughts were interrupted when a thick eraser landed on his head, effectively scattering chalk dust all over his head and face. He heard the class break in laughter, forcing him to look up to see the culprit, with one hand on his hip.

"Saotome, I've been calling your name for a minute now. Are you here, or not?"

"H-hai!"

"Very well," the professor said before he continued taking roll. Ranma continued drifting into space throughout the class until he was able to leave the room at the sound of the bell. He was the first one out the door. He and Akane shared the next class, so he wanted to make it on time to be able to sit next to her. He ran as fast as he could and arrived to the classroom in record time. He knew the usual spot Akane sat in, so he took the desk next it. His eyes were glued to the door, and when the last student came in, the teacher closed the door. Ranma looked around himself and saw Akane was nowhere to be found.

Yuka noticed Ranma's look of confusion, so she leaned over and whispered to him.

"Ranma, if you're looking for Akane, she's at the nurse's station."

Ranma's head snapped behind him to face the ever informative friend of his fiancée. "What do you mean at the nurse's station? What happened?"

"Kuno happened. He was making this big scene about how he was going to remove the bewitching you placed on her to marry you, or something crazy like that. Akane tripped on the stairs while fighting him, and she twisted her ankle."

"What? Why that Kuno! He's gonna have to deal with me now!"

Suddenly, Ranma felt an object hit the back of his turned head, followed by the teacher's voice screaming his name. He turned around and saw the teacher pointing to the door. "Why don't you take it outside, uhm?"

Ranma stood up and left the classroom, and as soon as the teacher closed the door behind her, he sped away towards the nurse's room. As soon as he arrived, he saw through the window that Akane was leaning her back against the wall in the back of the room, her fists in front of her ready to fight. Ranma opened the door and saw that Kuno was standing on the other side of the room, with his katana in his hands.

"My beloved Tendo Akane, my heart swells to see you injured as such."

"Are you crazy? It's your fault I'm here in the first place! Now get out before I make you!"

Kuno took a few more steps towards her, placing his katana back to his waist before opening his arms wide towards her.

"Tendo Akane, come into my arms so I can take care of you in your moment of need!"

Ranma, not happy with Kuno's actions, took the opportunity to jump on his back, forcing him to land on his face.

"Didn't you hear her, you dumbass? She told you to go away."

Kuno pushed Ranma away from him and quickly turned around to face him, katana in hand. "Ranma Saotome! How dare you interrupt a conversation between lovers! In fact, how dare you attempt to marry my sweet love behind my back? It is I, The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High –Tatewaki Kuno, who will wed the beautiful Akane!"

Akane took advantage of the distraction to grab the closest desk and hit Kuno with it, repeatedly. After she made sure Kuno was out of commission, she looked up to see Ranma approaching her, stepping over Kuno as if he were a simple mat.

"Akane, what did he do you? Are you OK?"

Akane nodded as she turned around and grabbed her bag and attempted to take a step to the door. She was having a difficult time balancing her body with one hand as the other held her bag. Ranma, seeing this, sighed and snatched her bag from her, and placed it on his chest.

"Ranma-kun, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like, idiot? Helping you. Come on," he said as he turned around and offered to carry her on his back. "Let me take you home."

Akane shook her head. "I'm OK, really. I just need to get back to class."

She tried to go around him but he moved in front of her, and poked her forehead with enough force to make her lose her balance and fall on her ass.

"Why did you that for? How is that helping me?"

"See? You can't stay here on your own. Stop being so stubborn and let me take you to Dr. Tofu."

Akane sighed and allowed Ranma to carry her. He opened the window to outside and peeked down at the fall. "Grab on, Akane!"

He felt her fists tighten as he jumped from the window of the third floor with her in tow. He landed gracefully on the ground and began his way to doctor Tofu's office. As they quietly made their way to the clinic, he looked down to his left side and saw Akane's foot was wrapped in gauze, which had some considerable blood spots on it. He frowned at the sight.

_"Stupid Kuno, he's gonna pay for this tomorrow, that's for sure."_

Ranma felt Akane shuffle and he looked back at her. "Akane?"

"You can put me down now, Ranma-kun. I think I can walk the rest of the way."

Ranma reluctantly complied and carefully let her down from his back. He slowed down his pace as he followed her small steps, watching her hold onto the wall in order not to place a lot of weight on her injured foot. Ranma knew she was having a difficult time doing so, but decided just staying close by to watch out for her.

They finally arrived at the clinic and Akane called for the doctor as soon as she walked in. The doctor was quick to walk out of his office and welcomed them. "Akane! So nice to see you. And, you too, Ranma. What can I do for you today?"

"Doctor, my ankle…" she did not have to say more. Tofu was on her in an instant. He carried Akane to the examination bed, an action that made Ranma feel a little jealous of the older man. _"I coulda done that!"_

Akane looked up at Ranma and smiled. "Ranma-kun, Doctor Tofu can take care of me for now. Why don't you go back to school? There's no point in both of us cutting school."

"Psh, as if! I wasn't having the best day, anyway."

"She's right, Ranma. I'll handle it from here."

"I said I'm fine. Why are you trying to get me out of here, anyway?"

"I'm not trying to do anything, Ranma-kun."

"Stop! Stop, calling me that!"

"Calling you what?"

"My name is Ranma, you've always called me that. Why the sudden change?"

Akane frowned, searching her mind for the reason for the change, herself. "I-I don't know. But, why would it upset you? You're my friend, right?"

The doctor, sensing an argument was coming, excused himself saying he was going to grab some medicine for Akane's foot.

"Y-your friend? That's _it_? Your _friend_? I'm your _fiancée_, Akane. Or have you forgotten that?"

Akane began feeling a little bit of anger at his words, unsure about what she had done to deserve them. "I haven't forgotten."

"Then why? Why the sudden politeness between us? Are you still mad?"

"Why do you keep asking if I'm mad?"

"Because only when you're mad do you treat me like you don't love me anymore!"

Akane was taken aback by his statement, prompting Ranma to take a step back, feeling the heat rise to his face. He waited for her to inquire about his words, but she just looked away.

"I'm sorry, Ranma-kun –Ranma," she corrected herself. "I just…well, I thought…"

Ranma, happy that she had not read too much into his slip up, regained his confidence and walked closer to her. "You thought what?"

"I thought, that…"

"NIHAO, AIREN!"

Ranma slapped his face, realizing who was behind him. He turned around to see Shampoo walk inside the clinic, holding a bowl of ramen for Ranma.

"Shampoo look for Airen at school, but Airen no there. Shampoo told Airen left school with hurt Stupid-girl. So Shampoo know find Airen here!"

As soon as she finished her statement, Shampoo hugged Ranma and began rubbing her body all over him, making Ranma nervous since Akane was sitting there. He looked behind him and saw her sitting there, dangling her feet as she stared at them.

"Ranma…"

"Akane, no! Don't! It's all her, you see? I'm not even touching her!"

"I can see that. This office is too small, why don't you take Shampoo out so the doctor can look at my foot?"

Shampoo, who had been busy trying to feed her airen, stopped in her tracks and pulled herself closer to Akane. "Stupid-girl no mad that Ranma touch Shampoo?"

"I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU!" Ranma said before Shampoo dropped him on the floor, dropping the Ramen on his head.

"Shampoo think Stupid-girl mad at Shampoo for ruin wedding. Stupid-girl no care?"

Ranma stood up, pulling the noodles off his hair before pulling Shampoo away from Akane. "Stop calling her stupid. She has a name!"

Shampoo continued to ignore Ranma as she poked Akane's cheek.

"Hey!" Akane reacted and slapped her hand away. Shampoo, thinking that she had gotten Akane mad, smiled and pulled back. "Ah! Stupid-girl only pretend. She mad at Shampoo, after all!"

"Shampoo, I just told you to stop calling her…"

"Shampoo no care to learn name. If girl no care about Ranma, then Shampoo take Ranma on date, yes?"

Akane shrugged, not looking at all bothered by Shampoo's taunts. "Be my guest."

"What? What do you mean, Akane?"

"If Shampoo wants to date you, why don't you go out with her, already?"

Shampoo, hearing Ranma was free for the day, jumped in excitement as she grabbed Ranma and began taking him out of the clinic. "Airen not know how to eat. Noodles wasted on Airen's head."

"Shampoo, no, wait," he said as he struggled to break free of the Amazon.

"See you at home, Ranma!" Akane yelled from inside.

"No, wait! Akane! Akane!"

"No Akane, Shampoo. Airen too noisy today. Shampoo fix," she said as she proceeded to hit Ranma on the head, knocking him out.

"Better. Now Shampoo and Airen date."

Akane saw Shampoo drag an unconscious Ranma away from the clinic before Tofu returned, ready to clean up her foot.

"Akane, where did Ranma go?"

"Ranma? He had something else to do."

"Oh! Well, let's get this started, OK?"

"Hai!" she said with a smile, for the first time realizing that she did not feel jealous of the woman who just dragged Ranma away from her. Thinking nothing of it, she concentrated on talking with the good ol' Doctor Tofu.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4****  
**

"I oughta get health insurance...or maybe life insurance..." an obviously battered up Ranma mumbled to himself as he dragged his body while holding on to a wooden stick for support. He had just managed to escape his date with Shampoo, which lasted three full days. Well, the date itself had lasted _two_ minutes, but the sudden appearance of his other fiancées and rivals had caused him to crawl his way back to Nerima from wherever he had ended up after he had defeated them all. It seemed wrecking his home had not been enough for their destruction quota for the month.

_"Those bastards! Why did they have to go ambushing me like that?"_

He finally arrived at the entrance of the Tendo home. He sighed in relief as he opened the front door and collapsed on the floor of the entrance hall.

"Who's there?"

Ranma did not bother to look up. He knew to whom the voice belonged.

"_What is Akane doing home during school time?"_

He heard her walk close to him and then gasped.

"RANMA! What the fuck happened to you?" she said as she kneeled down next to him, and begun examining him. He relaxed under her touch, relishing as her hands patted him, searching for any broken bones, which he knew he did not have, and could have told her, but that would have made her stop. He loved the feeling of peace only she could bring to him. After being beaten to a pulp by the founding members of Nerima's Insane Asylum, coming home to a worried Akane was his reward.

"Ranma, you baka! What the hell do _you_ do on dates?"

Ranma, who by now was feeling well enough to sit down, looked up to her with a smirk on his face. "Why not go out with me on one, and find out yourself?"

Akane scoffed. "I don't date friends, you know that. Besides, I'd like to come out of it alive, you know? I can't take beatings like you do."

He pursed his lips at the _friends_ reference, and he decided that he was not going to allow her to continue treating him like this. He knew she cared for him, and this indifference had to stop. He wanted his angry tomboy back, and while he had been away from her for three days, he had realized that he had been trying to get them back to normal, in all the wrong ways.

"Come on, Akane! Like I'd let them lay a finger on you. You oughta know better than that by now."

Akane leaned forward, pressing her right hand to his cheek. Ranma closed his eyes on contact, breathing in her scent. He opened his eyes when she retracted her hand, but not in the usual shy girl way, which made him question whether she had meant the gesture with love.

"I know you wouldn't, Ranma," she told him, honestly grateful for having someone that would watch her back. "But, maybe, you should do that for yourself, too. You look like shit."

Ranma sighed inwardly. He had thought, for a quick second, that she was back to her normal self. He should have known better. Whatever he had broken this time, the fix was not going to be an easy one.

He got down on all fours and slowly pushed himself up, Akane close by making sure he could manage the task. When he wobbled and had to grab the rail of the stairs to stay up, Akane was immediately by his side, holding him by his waist. "See? What did I tell you? Self-defense, try it sometime."

Ranma rested his arm around her shoulder so that his weight on her was as evened out as possible. She helped him walk to the living room, making him sit on the floor.

"Thanks, Akane. I think I'm good to collapse, now."

Akane made a face, showing him she did not appreciate the implication that he was indeed in pain. "I'm not done yet."

"What?"

She left him hanging as she disappeared from the room only to return with the first aid kit. She opened it up, laid it on the table, and began taking out what she needed.

"Akane, that won't be…"

A smack to the side of his head stopped him from talking. He looked down at her, and she had a scowl on her face. "None of that, mister. I don't know what happened to you, but it doesn't look like you just returned from a honeymoon."

"Yeah…well…"

She raised her hand to his, showing that she was not interested in hearing the details. She then lifted her hands to his face and used them to move his head side to side, examining the injuries on it. She took out a pad and damped it with rubbing alcohol before beginning to clean up his face.

"Ouch! That stings!"

"Deal with it. Some of these cuts look pretty bad already."

He stopped his complaining and allowed her to patch him up. Every time she swapped pads, the used one was filled with dried blood and dirt. After a couple of minutes, she stopped focusing on his face and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"W-w-hat…are-e-e yo-o-ou doing, Aka-ka-ne?" he said as he looked down at her with a shocked face.

"What does it look like? Making sure you don't have anything else on you."

"But…I…you…"

Akane rolled her eyes as she continued her task. Ranma took deep breaths, his eyes never leaving her dexterous hands as she finished unbuttoning shirt. He watched her as she kneeled in front of him so that she was towering over him. She then slid her hands down from his shoulders to the entirety of his arms. Ranma clenched his jaw to keep himself in check. Feeling her so close to him, undressing him, touching him, it was driving him mad.

Once she was done taking off his shirt, she took her hands to his pants, and began pulling his tank top from it.

"_There's more?!"_ Ranma thought as he closed his eyes and lifted his arms to let her pull up the top. Once she discarded the torn clothing, she took a step back and observed his upper body. She caressed his right pectoral with her fingers before lightly tapping the area, causing Ranma to flinch. He grabbed her hand in his and pulled it away from his chest but kept holding on to it.

Akane looked up at his eyes, and he saw pain leaking from hers. The wound she had just touched did not seem minor at all, and it made her blood boil at the lengths his so called fiancées would go to try seducing him.

"Did Shampoo do this to you?" she said in a menacing tone he had not heard in a while.

"Shampoo…Ukyo….Kodachi….Mousse…Kuno…Ryouga…"

Akane sighed as she removed her hand from within his. She grabbed bigger pads and continued cleaning him up.

"I don't understand why they keep doing this to you. Aren't they supposed to be in with love you or something? The girls, at least."

Ranma shrugged. "The more they say that, the less I believe it."

Akane pointed to his biggest wound as she spoke. "I don't blame you."

After she was done disinfecting his wounds, she cleaned up the mess she had left behind and began standing up, wiping the sweat off her brow. "That's all I can do with this. Go shower and take care of the rest," she said as she pointed at his lower body.

Ranma stood up, feeling a little better about his wounds, but not about himself. He had just had Akane's hands all over him, and while he had been on the verge of pushing her down and kissing her, she had showed no reaction to their proximity. He looked down at his shaking fist, not understanding what he had done to push her away like that. Had it been any other day, she would have been as nervous as he had been just now.

He looked up to see her walk back to the kitchen to return the first aid kit, but he took a step towards her and grabbed her arm. He did not turn her around. He stood behind her, placed his right hand on her waist, and his left hand on her left shoulder. He rested his forehead against her head and remained like that for a few seconds.

"Thank you, Akane."

He finally let her go without saying anything else, leaving her standing confused in the middle of the room. She took a hand to her chest and closed her eyes.

"_Why is my heart pounding so fast?"_

Ranma was already inside the tub, pondering over their latest encounter. Maybe he had finally done it. He had outdone himself. He had finally made Akane tired of waiting for him to strap on a pair and tell her –show her, how he had felt all this time.

"_I will show you, Akane. I will win you back."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A week had gone by since Ranma returned from his date from hell with Shampoo, and Akane continued to act indifferent towards him.

_"Indifferent is not the word,"_ Ranma thought as he recalled a few occasions where he and Akane had spent some quality time together in the past few days. Nothing special had happened between them, but her short temper with him had practically disappeared. He, doing his part, had forced himself not to insult her just because he could, and while they had a couple of arguments here and there, the usual interaction between them was yet to return.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed as if Akane had finally learned to live with his flaws. Yet, she was doing so in a way that made him feel as if she was secretly building the blocks of a good friendship between them. This last part terrified him. He knew how it was to be stuck in the friend zone; he had seen it happen to Ryouga. He did _not_ want to be Ryouga –for many reasons, but most especially, he did not want be seen by Akane as just _that guy who lived under her roof. _

He had tried to tell her how he felt, at least twice in the last week. At first, he had thought it to be a good idea, perhaps the way to break whatever spell she was under that prevented her from seeing him as her fiancée. Both times he had stopped himself, and doubted that bringing it up at this point would have the impact he as aiming for. Back then, he was too cowardly to tell her how he felt because he was afraid of how she would react, and that their parents would tie up both of them, and marry them while they kicked and screamed.

However, after the interrupted wedding, he had refrained from expressing his feelings to her for a completely different reason. After spending so much time with her in the past week, he had realized that his uncute tomboy had changed. She was still the same temperamental girl he loved, with the same strength and the same friends, and the same life. Yet, something inside of her had just snapped. Something inside of her had broken in such tiny pieces that it was almost impossible to put back together.

"_Her heart. I've broken her heart."_

What good would it do to tell her how he felt then, if he knew, he just _knew_ that she would not say it back? How could she? At some point after the unsuccessful wedding attempt, she had fallen out of love. She had fallen _out_ of love…with _him_.

That had not shatter his hope, however, that she could still come around. That she could still fall _in love_ with him, all over again. Especially so, this morning, when Shampoo had shown up at their doorstep, asking Ranma to take her on another date. Ranma had been ready to fly out the window when Shampoo made her intentions known, but Akane had stepped in, threatening Shampoo in her own way. He could not help but smile as he recalled the exact words Akane had used on Shampoo.

_"Shampoo, Ranma hasn't recovered yet from the beating you and the other bitches gave him last time. So, why don't you just leave my house now? To which, by the way, in case you haven't noticed, you are not welcome to. If Ranma wants to date you, he can go look for you when he wants, but if you come to my home one more time, I __**will**__ make you regret it."_

Shampoo had been so shocked at Akane's threat; she had not known what to say. She had looked at Ranma, looking for support, but he had just shrugged.

_"It is Akane's house, Shampoo. I don't make the rules."_ He had told her. She stomped one foot on the floor before turning around and leaving without any other peep coming out of her. Ranma had felt his hope expand so big that if it had been an object, it would have not fit in the Tendo's living room. The hope, however, reduced to the size of the grain of rice he was holding between his chopsticks when Akane had spoken again after Shampoo had left.

_"Seriously, Ranma. You gotta teach your fiancées some respect. We're still paying for the repairs we just completed after the wedding; we can't afford more fights like that in this place."_

Ranma had lowered his head, ashamed.

So, after that comment from Akane, he had left the home and had wandered around Nerima, thinking about his unrequited love. Which, at some point, had not been unrequited at all, but he would have to start learning to accept that, for now, it had become unreturned. He stood in front of a sushi bar a few blocks away from school, holding a flyer in his hand. He walked inside and reached the counter, asking for the manager in turn.

"The manager is currently out. Can I help you with something, sir?"

Ranma nodded at the pretty girl leaning over the counter to get closer to the patron.

"Hai! I'm here about the part-time job?" he said as he showed her the ad he had in his hand. The girl beamed at hearing that before she took the flyer from his hand and tossed it in the closest trashcan.

"You're hired!"

"What?" Ranma blinked at the girl, unsure of whether she was joking or not.

The girl in question walked around the bar, ran to a closet, and came back with a bucket, a mop, a broom and a dustpan. "The kitchen needs major cleaning, and so does the back of the bar. Daddy will be here in an hour, so I would get to it if I were you."

"Daddy?" Ranma asked the overly excited girl in front of him.

"My dad's the owner. My name is Emi, Emi Tanaka. And you are?" she asked as she extended her hand to him. Ranma took it and shook it as he responded to Emi.

"Saotome, Ranma Saotome."

"Nice to meet you, Ranma," she said with a look he had seen before on other girls while they stared at him. Ranma quickly looked away and asked where the kitchen was. She pointed to the back and he disappeared inside it, ready to do his job.

_"If this is what it takes to show Akane I care, then so be it. Besides, it's my fault they're in debt right now. I gotta help out." _Ranma said as he bent down on all fours and began scrubbing the floors of Tanaka's Sushi Bar.

Hours later, Ranma returned home to find Akane sweeping the floor outside the Tendo residence. Ranma walked up to her, and when she saw him, she turned her back at him. Ranma was taken aback by this and walked closer to her, attempting to see her face. When she repeated the same movement a couple of times, Ranma pretended to lose interest and walked away. Once she was distracted, he jumped from the fence and landed in front of her, scaring her half to death.

"Ranma! The hell is wrong with you?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" he had shouted back at her but his anger left him in an instant when he looked at her face. Her usually flawless left cheek sported a nasty bruise. His eyes widened in shock and she looked to the side, trying to cover her face from him.

"Akane, who did this to you?"

"It's nothing."

"What do you mean it's nothing, look at you!"

"I know. It will go away in a few days."

"More like a few weeks! What happened?"

"Nothing, Ranma!" she yelled, losing her temper with him. She handed him the broom as she turned around and began walking back to the home. Ranma threw the broom to the ground, pulled her hand and made her come back to him, resting her back against the fence while he towered over her. He held her by the shoulders, trembling in anger.

"Akane! Did you fall? Is that how you got that bruise?"

Akane flinched, and tears began falling from her eyes. "You're…you're hurting me."

Ranma looked down at his hands. He knew he was not putting any strength onto her arms, which made him realize why his grip hurt. He released her and pulled her arm, rolling up her sleeve to see a couple more similar bruises, on her arm. He then moved to her other arm, and the story repeated.

Akane stood there, unmoving, as he partially lifted her shirt and saw another bruise on her left side. He then got on his knees and lifted her skirt just enough to see scrapes and cuts on her legs. He stood up in front of her, growling, frowning and breathing hard. He placed his hands on either side of her face as he leaned closer to her.

"Akane. Who. Did. This."

Akane looked away, unable to face him. He looked so angry, as if he was about to lose control of himself. When she did not respond, he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were almost red in rage, but also pleading her to answer his question. She blinked a few tears away and nodded, letting him know she was going to tell him truth.

"She came back after you left. She wasn't happy that I'd kick her out."

Ranma opened his mouth to ask whom she was talking about, but reality hit him before that.

"Shampoo did this to you?"

Akane could only nod. He began hyperventilating, haranguing himself for not making himself clear to Shampoo that she was not to come back to the Tendo home. He knew why Shampoo had come back. She had been shocked with Akane's speech, but being true to her Amazon laws, she could not let another woman insult her like that.

He let go of her face and moved his head to the left, the direction of the Nekohanten.

"Ranma…please…don't," Akane begged, knowing Ranma was not thinking straight at the moment. She knew what he was thinking of doing. She knew what the gentle hands that had held her face just now could do when he was mad.

"Akane, go back inside and don't come out until I say it's OK."

Akane tried to reason with him, tell him that her bruises looked worse than how they felt, but he would not have any of that. He turned around to face her when she refused to go back inside the house. He carried her, jumped the fence, dropped her in Kasumi's arms and turned around, leaving the Tendo home as fast as he could.

In no time, he arrived at the Nekohanten. He slammed the door open to see Shampoo wiping tables, and Cologne counting today's profit.

"Ranma!" Shampoo yelled as she dropped the rag she had in her hands, and ran to go hug Ranma. "You come to finally stay with Shampoo?"

Ranma stopped her chatter when he grabbed Shampoo by her neck and slammed her against the wall. Cologne reacted immediately and pointed her staff at him.

"Son-in-law, I don't know what you're up to, but you will put her down, now."

Ranma turned around to face the Chinese, not decreasing his grip on Shampoo. Shampoo could only stare at him, unshed tears in her eyes as she tried to release herself from his grip.

"Stay out of it, you old ghoul! This is between Shampoo and me."

"Nonsense, son-in-law. Whatever pertains to my great-granddaughter, pertains to me as well."

Ranma scoffed. "In that case, this warning is for you both," he said, squeezing Shampoo's neck just a little bit tighter than before.

"If you," he said staring at Shampoo, "or any of you," he said stealing a quick glance at Cologne before he returned his gaze to Shampoo. "Dare to touch Akane again; I swear on my life you won't live to tell the tale."

"The Tendo girl?" Cologne asked, fearing for her great-granddaughter. "I haven't even seen the girl!"

"You might have not, but Shampoo did," he said before squeezing harder for a brief second and letting her drop to the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Cologne asked, relieved Ranma had release Shampoo from his death grip.

"Why don't you ask her?" he said, pointing at Shampoo.

With a last glare to both of them, he left the café and arrived back at the Tendos. When he walked in, Kasumi was sitting at the living room, waiting for him to return.

"Ranma, what happened?"

"Nothing, just had to make a visit to Shampoo and the old hag. I think we cleared things up."

"Ranma, you didn't…"

"No. But I should have…"

"Ranma, don't joke about that!"

"I wasn't joking."

Kasumi shook her head, disapproving of whatever actions Ranma had taken into his own hands.

"Where's Akane?"

"Asleep, in her room. She was afraid of what you would do, so I had to give her a sedative."

"Will she be alright?"

"In the morning, we'll see."

Ranma rubbed his eyes, the events of the day finally dawning on his body. "I'm going to bed."

Kasumi could only nod as the pigtailed boy made his way upstairs to rest. He first stopped at Akane's room and tiptoed his way inside. Akane was curled up under the covers, completely passed out. He walked up to her, grabbed her hand, and kissed the back of it.

"I'm sorry, Akane. This is all my fault. It won't let it happen again, I promise."

With another brush of his lips on her hand, he turned around and left the room for the night. He had many things to think about, but for now, all he wanted to do was pass out.

**A/N:** Who am I kidding? I live for the drama.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Akane stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom just after her shower. She was happy to see her bruise had begun to become much less noticeable, and that her makeup was doing the trick to cover it. It had been difficult to return to school this morning after being out for three days due to her sprained ankle, go back to school for a week, and then be out again for two more weeks while most of the battle scars disappeared. She could have easily returned to school the day after Shampoo's visit, but she had remained home to avoid any more trouble for Ranma. She could almost hear Kuno's reaction to seeing her in such state, and she knew for a fact the sempai would not listen to her reasoning that Ranma had not been the purveyor of her lesions.

_"At this rate, I'm never gonna catch up in school."_

Once she was satisfied that she had applied enough makeup to cover her injured cheek, she stepped outside the bathroom to go downstairs for dinner. She really did not care much about showing her bruises at home, but it had broken her heart to see the face her fiancée made every time he saw her, so she had started wearing makeup at home until the bruise went away.

He had been so ashamed and angry at Shampoo's actions even days after the incident became old news. The same look of guilt would appear on his face whenever he saw her purple cheek. She had talked to him about it, at least twice, and told him he had not been the one to injure her, and that there were no hard feelings between them, but she knew he still felt responsible for it. The poor boy; her heart went out to him. Had the situation been different, she would have been happy to one day be his wife, as caring as he was. However, she just did not feel like that about him, and it was a shame because he would have made a fine life companion.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she reached the living room to join the family for dinner. She sat next to Ranma, as usual. Before she knew it, the family was chatting about their day and their plans for the next. After a while, the parents and the elder Tendo sister left the room, leaving only Nabiki, Ranma and Akane to converse about Akane's upcoming trip.

"When are you leaving, Akane?" The middle sister asked.

"Next week. I'm very excited."

"Trip? What trip?" Ranma asked her, suddenly aware that he had not kept up with his fiancée's life as much as he had thought. After he dealt with Shampoo's cheap shot on Akane, Ranma had made sure to know where she was at all times –even when he was at work after school, and especially if one of his other fiancées was on the loose at Furinkan High. He did not have to worry much about Ukyo, as he trusted that she was not crazy enough to harm Akane the way Shampoo had. However, the other two he did worry about, as he did not want to relive the aftermath of his revenge.

When he had woken up the day after his _talk_ with Shampoo, he had thought Akane would see him in a new light. He was so sure that Akane would snap back to reality and remember how much they were meant to be together. Boy, had he been _wrong_!

She had lightly chastised him for being so rash in his actions against Shampoo, and while she did thank him for stepping up for her, her attitude towards him did not change. She continued to treat him with the same camaraderie she would a friend. A few more Ranma-kun's had escaped her lips, but she had quickly corrected herself after seeing his frowning face at the use of the honorific. And, while he continued to feel butterflies in his stomach whenever she was near him, and his legs continued to feel weak when she smiled at him, nothing had prepared him for the conversation they had had today at school.

He had noticed a particular set of girls had been following him around school for several days. One of those occasions happened to be when Akane was around. She had eyed the girls with curiosity before she had turned back to eye his reaction. He could not help the smile on his face when he thought her jealous. She, on the other hand, mistook his gesture for reciprocation of the girls' stares.

"_Which one are you looking at?"_

"_Beg your pardon?"_

"_The girls, which one do you like?"_

"_Akane…I…"_

"_If you tell me which one, I can introduce you to her."_

He had clenched his jaw. As if everything else was not already killing him, now she wanted to set him up with another girl. He still felt the pain of disappointment inside his chest at the memory. However, he had to leave his personal pity party aside to continue the conversation with her.

"I guess I haven't mentioned it to you, uh? We –the debate team, we're going on a retreat. It'll only be for three days, but I'm still looking forward to it."

Ranma nodded, not certain what to say to that.

"_Three days without Akane. Now what?"_

Akane noticed his pensive state. She found his hand under the table, and placed her own hand on his. He stared at their hands before looking up to face her. She had a half-smile on her face, as if she knew he had not liked the idea of being apart. Nabiki eyed them with suspicion, and added to her mental notes the interaction between them.

"I'll stay out of trouble, I promise," Akane said, still looking into his disappointed eyes.

Ranma turned over his hand and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a light squeeze. She returned the squeeze before releasing his hand, and excusing herself from the table. Ranma followed her with his eyes until she disappeared, and returned his glance to Nabiki once he heard Akane's door close.

"Do you believe me now? Akane has lost interest in you; you should start thinking about where to go when her new fiancée moves in."

Ranma's eyes narrowed at Nabiki, despising the fact that what she had told him weeks ago was becoming true. He had started making himself accept the idea that his mother would eventually call them and tell them their home had been rebuilt, and that they could move back in, but while the dreaded call had yet to arrive, he was already prepared to move out. Even after all the attempts from him in the past weeks to restore Akane's faith in him, he was closer to being her best friend rather than her future spouse.

His mind replayed Nabiki's statement, and he suddenly found himself panicking at the thought.

"_New_ fiancée?"

"Duh! I don't know who he is, but I heard daddy and Uncle Genma talking about ending the engagement. They too have grown tired of waiting for you to man up."

"Man up? What does that even mean? What do they expect me to do?"

"They expected you to tell Akane you loved her, and marry her that day. You did neither, so they're thinking of other _alternatives_. She has her whole life ahead of her; she can't put it on hold for someone like you."

"Shut up!"

Nabiki chuckled. "Does the truth hurt, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma did not dignify her question with a response. He got up and took out a small bag with money inside. He had just been paid for his first two weeks at work, and had been dying to start contributing to clearing the Tendo's debt. He threw the bag on the table and spoke.

"You should receive from me about the same amount every two weeks. Use it to pay back that loan you guys took out for the repairs, OK?"

Nabiki grabbed the bag and opened it, quickly estimating the amount inside. She closed the bag again and put it inside her pocket.

"Not bad! At this rate, it will only take you 20 years to pay us back!"

Ranma ignored Nabiki's condescending comments and exited the living room and the Tendo home, heading to the only place he could vent and pout at his leisure. He had been planning to visit the place, anyway, as part of the second part of his plan to win back Akane. Nabiki's comment had just forced his plans to move ahead of schedule. After walking down a few blocks, he arrived at this safe house, and walked in.

"Welcome to Uc-chan's! Oh! Ranchan! I'm so happy to you see you! Are you hungry?"

"No, just…"

Ukyo noticed her friend's defeated posture immediately. She quickly finished cooking the last two orders of the day, and instructed Tsubasa to get them to their guests. She wiped her hands on her apron and made her way to where Ranma was. He sat on one side of the booth he'd chosen, his legs extended across it. His back rested against the wall, and he had one arm on the back of the cushioned seat, and the other on the table.

"Honey, you look like the world's about to end! What happened?"

"Uc-chan, can I be honest with you?"

Ukyo leaned closer to him. She was not sure if she wanted to hear what he was about to say, seeing how serious he looked, but she agreed to listen to him, either way.

"Look, I know how you feel about me. And, had things been different, I'd…"

He did not have to finish his sentence, seeing as Ukyo lowered her head and nodded.

"I know, Ranchan. I've known for a long time."

Ranma closed his eyes. This was more difficult than he had thought. After getting a job and putting Shampoo in her place for now, he had planned to let Ukyo down, gently. His last target would be Kodachi, and only because she was the most unpredictable of all. He had realized that he could not offer everything Akane needed as long as his life was in complete disarray. With the news of Soun thinking of finding another fiancée for Akane, his resolve to force changes in his life had increased.

"This is hard for me too, Ukyo. I should have never led you to believe that I could see you as more than a friend. You can hit me if you want, but I hope we can remain friends."

Ukyo slid back to her side of the booth, thinking about his offer. If she accepted it, she was officially resigning her pursuit on him, leaving her to deal with the consequences of her tainted honor. What would her father say? Would he disown her? What would she do, then?

After a long silence, she looked up to see Ranma waiting for her answer with the same fear she knew her eyes displayed. She played with a napkin in her hands to calm her nerves.

"Ranchan, how honest are you willing to be?"

"As much as you deserve for putting up with me."

"Then, can you answer something for me?"

"Sure."

"Do you love her?"

Ranma nodded without hesitation.

"Does she love you?"

Ranma shook his head.

"Then why do you pursue her if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"For the same reason you pursued me."

"Ranma, this is different! She doesn't owe you a thing!" Ukyo said, slamming her fists on the table.

"She doesn't have to. I gotta try, Ukyo. Please understand."

Ukyo shook her head vigorously. She stood up from her seat and stared her friend in the eyes. "You're asking me to give you up so you can beg her to love you? Is that what it is? That's not like you, Ranchan!"

"I'm asking you for help, Ukyo! Do you know how it feels to love someone so much, and know they don't love you back?"

"I DO! Every day!"

"Then you should understand why I have to try! But, I had to make my intentions with you clear, first. I think I owe you that much."

Ukyo sighed. "Ranchan, if you tell me that she is willing to love you back, I will step aside. But don't ask me to give you up when I still have a chance."

"Ukyo…there's…no one else for me."

Ukyo grabbed her spatula and threw Ranma out of her restaurant. His flying trajectory was halted by the closest wall on the street, leaving a Ranma-shaped indentation in the wall. Ranma slid down the wall and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

_"I'm sorry, Ukyo. I just had to let you know."_

His misery was heightened when he felt the first droplets of water coming down from the sky on him. Hours later after walking without a true destination, he arrived at the Tendo home soaked, beaten and in his cursed form. He was so engrossed in his unhappiness that he did not notice the small, black piglet jumping inside Akane's room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ranma had spent the last five days fighting with the black piglet that had made its appearance at the worst possible time –just as he always did. Akane was scheduled to leave today for her retreat, and Ranma had tried to spend more than five minute with her for the past week, to no avail.

Ryouga had overextended his stay at this point, and had not left Akane's side, making it difficult for Ranma to carry on with his plans. He had wanted to ask Akane out on a date before she left, but every time they tried, P-Chan would interrupt.

_"That damn Ryouga! He better watch out cuz I'm in the mood for bacon." _Ranma thought to himself as he reached the top of the stairs. He stood outside Akane's door and knocked. She immediately invited in the guest.

"Hey, Akane! Do you have a minute?"

She had laid her bag on her bed, and she was folding her clothes and putting them inside it. She had laid some shoes on the floor, and a few clothes still hung from hangers in her closet.

"_How many things did she plan on taking with her? She would only be gone for three days!"_

It was then that Ranma noticed P-Chan inside the bag, resting on top of Akane's underwear, a smile on his face as he stared back at Ranma's glare..

_"That motherfu-"_

"Ranma?"

Ranma's head snapped towards her. Her head was tilted to the side as she held in her hands a small colorful piece of clothing he could not immediately identify. "Ranma, have you been listening to me?"

Ranma blushed. "Sorry…I was…distracted for a moment."

"Oh! Were you thinking about Sakura?"

"Who?"

"Sakura! The girl that has been chasing you at school."

"Oh! No, not really. So, when do you leave?"

"I need to be at the train station by 3 a.m."

"3 AM?! Damn, that's early!"

"Tell me about. It's past nine and I haven't even had a chance to eat, with school and planning here and there, and now packing."

Ranma smiled. It seemed fate was merciful with him today. "I can help you pack, and if you're nice to me, I might even take you out to eat."

"Really? Wait, are you gonna make me buy dinner?" She said, accidentally dropping the piece of clothing she had been holding. When she saw Ranma bend down to pick it up for her, she turned back to her bag, and Ranma continued speaking. "No! I'm buying, but only if you earn it," Ranma said, teasing her and feeling better about having the chance to talk to her before she left. Before handing her the piece of clothing, his curiosity got the best of him, and he stretched the item to see what it was.

It was a thong.

His face shone bright red, and he began mumbling incoherent words as he stared at the bottom of Akane's bikini. "A-a-a-kane…is this?"

"What?" she asked as she turned around to face Ranma. Her face also became red as she snatched the item from Ranma's hands and threw it on top of P-Chan. P-Chan's nose began bleeding when the thong hit his face, and he ended up running away from the room after shaking off the cloth from his tiny body.

Akane grabbed the thong and shoved it to the bottom of the bag before turning around and grabbing Ranma by his shirt.

"Ranma, please, please, don't tell Kasumi I'm taking that with me! PLEASE!"

Ranma, who was slowly recovering from the mental image of Akane wearing a thong, nodded to her. When Akane saw Ranma was agreeing to keep her secret, she smiled at him and hugged him by wrapping her arms around his neck. Ranma stood still, waiting for her to change her mind and pushed herself away, but she did not.

Akane was suddenly hit with the soft smell of his cologne, making her instinctively close her eyes and hug him tighter. She became very aware that her chest was pressing against his, and that his arms had begun surrounding her waist. She swallowed hard when nervousness started building inside her, but she could not make herself pull away.

Ranma, on the other hand, was having his own internal battle. His thoughts swapped from imagining Akane at the beach in her bikini, and Akane, here and now, wrapping her arms around him. His heart began racing when he felt her stand on her toes so that she could rub her nose against his neck.

He whispered her name in her ear, and she responded by whispering his. She began pulling back slowly, but the side of her face rubbed against his as she did. She stopped a few inches away from him, their noses almost touching. Having her so close allowed him to see the last purple spots of her bruise, making him frown. He raised his hand and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. She closed her eyes as he did so, and he took this as an invitation to let go. His thumb began moving to her lips, and he brushed them with a tenderness he himself had not thought he had in him.

"Akane…I…"

However, she did not let him finish. She pushed herself up and closed the distance between their lips. He immediately closed his eyes and pushed down on her so she would not have to stand on her toes anymore. He heard her gasp when his tongue went inside of her mouth, and then she heard him scream when P-Chan jumped on him and bit him on his back.

"What the fuck?!" he yelled at the piglet as he turned around to try and step on the intruder. Akane took a step back, realization of what had just happened finally hitting her. She shook her head to regain her senses, and saw as Ranma ran down the hall after P-Chan. As soon as they were both out, she closed the door behind them, locked it, and held her weight against it.

She could feel her body shaking, whether it was due to nervousness or the scare she received when Ranma screamed, she did not know. She covered her face with her hands, and growled.

_"What am I doing? Why did I do that? Ranma's gonna get the wrong idea!"_  
She walked back to her bag and began packing the remaining items as quickly as she could. She had to get out of there before Ranma came back. She just could not face him right now. By the time Ranma had thrown Ryouga in the streets, naked and beat up, Akane had left the home. Ranma returned to her room, eager to talk to her about the kiss they had just shared. He opened the door to her room to find a note on her desk, left behind by her. The note had but a single line. That was all he needed to break his spirit.

_"I'm sorry, Ranma."_

He knew what she had meant. She was sorry she misled him. She had not _meant_ to kiss him, and she was sorry the kiss took place.

_ "Am I being punished for what I did to the other girls? Is this how they felt?"_

He looked around and saw her bags were gone, but the window in her room was still open. He stepped outside through the window, hoping to see Akane close by, but she was gone. Ranma crumpled the note and threw it on the ground before coming inside the house. He turned the lights off in her room, closing the door behind.

_ "I'm sorry too, Akane."_

He did not see Ryouga again until Akane returned with more than just souvenirs in her hands, and more than just good memories in her heart.

* * *

**A/N:** In case you were wondering, the song for this fic is "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8****  
**

"NABIKI! I can't believe you lied to Ranma like that!"

"I can't believe you're making a big deal about a little…deviation from the truth."

"Deviation? There is no deviation here. What you told him was just lies."

Nabiki exhaled deeply. She was tired of hearing Kasumi reprimand her for lying to Ranma for weeks. Kasumi had noticed that both Ranma and Akane were acting strange, and when she commented on it to her younger sister, Nabiki had laughed and spilled the beans to Kasumi.

"I knew you were selfish, Nabiki. But, cruel? You have to tell Ranma that our parents aren't thinking about breaking up him and Akane. No wonder he's been so depressed!"

"Sis, you're overreacting. What's a little white lie gonna do? Besides, if it wasn't for my _cruel_ intentions, he would've never gotten a job to help pay for the trouble he caused."

"Nabiki, you're not giving Ranma enough credit. Everyone thinks he's blind to people's troubles, but he's not. He would have gotten that job, anyway. But, you? You're worse than I thought. You heard our dad joke with Uncle Genma about breaking the engagement to make him sweat a little, and all of a sudden, Ranma is freaking out. And, to tell him that they'd be kicked out of the house? You know Auntie Nodoka is just worried that the house won't be ready in time for Ranma to return to school next year!"

"Calm down, Kasumi! You're making it sound as if I take pleasure out of making Ranma break a sweat!"

Kasumi did not have to comment on Nabiki's response; her eyes said it all. Nabiki rolled her eyes and stood up from the kitchen table. "Fine, Sis! If it means so much to you, I'll give Ranma some hope, OK?"

"And Akane, too! I don't know what you told her, but she's been ignoring Ranma for weeks now."

Nabiki wrinkled her nose at her sister's comment. _"I haven't done anything to our sister, Kasumi. That was all in the stars." _Nabiki, however, wanting to end the conversation, and knowing Kasumi would not believe that she had no involvement in Akane's switch, shrugged and left the room_. "That Kasumi; she doesn't know how to have fun."_

Nabiki stopped at the entrance hall to put on her shoes. She was supposed to go pick Akane at the train station, today. Ranma had gone to work since the morning and they had yet to hear from him since. She figured it was better that way, so she would have the time to talk to Akane about her engagement to Ranma. _"Anything to get Kasumi off my back!"_

When Nabiki exited the home, she encountered an unexpected visitor, looking lost and confused at the gate. "Ryouga-kun! How nice to see you here! Are you looking for Akane?"

Ryouga immediately recognized Akane's sister, and nodded at her. Nabiki could not help but smile. The gods were still smiling down at her, and had sent her the perfect person from whom to make a buck.

"Ryouga-kun! I'm so happy you're here. Something terrible has happened to Akane, and I know you're just the person to help her out."

Ryouga perked up at this, grabbing Nabiki by her shoulders. "Akane's in danger? Where is she?"

Nabiki smiled internally. _"Gotcha!"_

"She's not in danger, yet."

"How can I help?"

"Why don't you walk with me, Ryouga-kun." She told the desperate boy as she laced their arms together. "I'll tell you everything you need to know, for a fee, of course."

"Anything to save Akane."

"Ryouga-kun, I knew you were the man for the job."

xxxXXXxxx

At the train station, Akane waited for her sister to pick her up. She was more than capable of taking a cab home, but Kasumi had insisted someone escorted her home. At first, Akane thought Ranma would be the one joining her, and became nervous at the idea. She had been relieved when Kasumi had told her Nabiki would be the one picking her up.

Akane sat on a bench, her friends long gone by now. While she had enjoyed hanging out with them during the trip, their comments were beginning to get to her. Once she had told them that she and Ranma had kissed, they had gone crazy on her, and all they could talk about during their retreat was whether Akane and Ranma would attempt to wed again. A particular conversation between her and her friends came to mind.

"_You know he loves you, Akane! And you love him, too."_

"_I don't love Ranma. He's just…a very nice guy who lives with me."_

"_Don't deny it! He's your fiancée, after all. It's natural you'd develop feelings for him."_

"_Yuka, stop trying to convince me. Ranma is just….Ranma. Besides, he has other fiancées to choose from."_

"_Really? When was the last time you saw him with any of them?"_

_Akane searched her mind for an answer. Other than putting Shampoo in her place, she had not heard or seen any of the other girls around. _

"_See? He's made his decision, Akane. He wants you."_

_Akane could not help but feel that something was out of place inside her. Her friends had insisted throughout the trip that she loved Ranma, but she did not remember ever giving any of them that impression. Maybe Ranma had that impression of her as well, and it scared her because she did not see him as anything more than a close friend._

"_So, how was it, Akane?"_

"_How was what?"_

"_You know what we're talking about! The kiss! Was he good?"_

_Akane blushed at the memory. She still did not know why she had done it. He had been so close to her, and they had been alone in her room. The way he had looked at her when he touched her bruise. He looked saddened, hurt, guilty, and…_

"In love,"_ Akane thought._

"_That good, uh?" Yuka said after Akane's long silence._

"_I…well…yeah…"_

"_I don't know who you're trying to kid, Akane. If you didn't like him, you would have taken on that hunk's offer to go out."_

_Akane had met a high school senior from a rival school of Furinkan during their trip. He had tried asking her out several times, but she constantly declined. She could not understand why she felt guilty about the entire ordeal. It was not as if she and Ranma were exclusive. Heck, Ranma was not exclusive at all, having a long line of fiancées ready to jump at his command!_

"_He's just not my type."_

"_Handsome? Smart? Rich? That's not your type?"_

"_Well…yeah, he's hot, and educated, and a total gentleman, but he's just not…"_

_Yuka rolled her eyes before she spoke. "Ranma. He's not Ranma."_

_Akane exhaled, nodding as she did. It did not matter how she looked at it, her friends were right. She never thought she and Ranma were a match, but something had changed since the chaotic wedding, and she had begun to see him in a new light._

"_I guess…I could give him a chance…"_

"_Really? If you do, I want to ride in his limousine!"_

"_Limousine? No! Not Orochi! Ranma!"_

"_Oh! Yeah, he definitely doesn't have a limousine."_

"_He doesn't need one," Akane said, a look of hope in her eyes._

"_Well, you got Orochi's number, in case the Ranma phase doesn't work out."_

"_I don't think I will need his number, Yuka."_

After that conversation, she had made her decision; she was going to give Ranma a chance. She hoped she had not been wrong about their kiss, and that Ranma did have an interest in her. She, however, did not have a clue on how to start the conversation, but she hoped that Ranma would understand her intentions, and help her out.

xxxXXXxxx

"A wish?"

Nabiki nodded to her incredulous escort. "Yes, I heard her crying the night of the wedding as I walked by her room to go to the bathroom. She sounded so sad and like she had given up. She wished that she didn't love Ranma anymore, and, according to what I've seen, it worked out for her."

Ryouga looked doubtful at Nabiki's story. Then again, the days he had spent there as P-Chan, she had been acting nonchalant with his childhood rival. Well, as nonchalant as you can be before you kiss.

_"That Ranma. He knows something is up, that's why he kissed her. He just has to have them all!"_

"Look, Ryouga-kun. I know it's difficult to believe, but come on! Ranma turns into a woman, Uncle Genma into a panda, Shampoo into a cat, and Mousse into a duck. Do you really think the idea of Akane wishing away her feelings for Ranma, is such a farfetched notion?"

"I guess you're right…and you say Ranma doesn't know about the wish?"

"Nope. I haven't told him anything, yet."

"Yet?"

"He hasn't paid the price for it," Nabiki responded as she extended her open hand to Ryouga. He put his hand inside his pocket and took out several bills and gave them to Nabiki. Nabiki grabbed the money with a smile.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Ryouga-kun. Always such a good customer."

Ryouga nodded, focused more on the information he had just been given. If Nabiki was correct, and Akane did not love Ranma anymore, then this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He had to think about how to approach her, though. Knowing that Ranma was practically out of the picture, he had a few days to plan his declaration of love to Akane.

_"I can be with her! I can spend my life with Akane!"_

"Well, here we are," Nabiki began. "And there's Akane! Hey, Akane!"

Ryouga looked up and saw Akane waving at them before grabbing her bags and running towards them. She hugged her sister before noticing Ryouga standing next to them.

"Ryouga-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I picked him up on the way here," Nabiki said, winking at the lost boy.

"Oh! It's nice to see you," Akane said as she extended her hand to him. Ryouga, with a new resolve in him, grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

"It's nice to see you to, Akane. You look beautiful today."

Akane carefully slid her hand away from Ryouga while she thanked him for the compliment. She then stared at her sister for an explanation of Ryouga's odd behavior, but Nabiki shrugged back at her.

"Anyway, Kasumi is waiting for you. Why don't we make our way back home?"

"Hai! I can't wait to tell you how much fun I had."

Ryouga stared at Akane's luggage in her hands. Taking advantage of the situation, he rested his hand on Akane's hand until she looked up at him.

"Let me help you with that, Akane."

"Alright. Thank you, Ryouga-kun."

"My pleasure, Akane."

With another look of confusion, Akane followed Ryouga and Nabiki back to the Tendo home.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who has read or reviewed, and continues to follow this story. Some of you are worried that I'm gonna pull an FA epilogue on you here, but I'm not. This story is meant to be a slow development of Ranma and Akane's relationship, which has begun with a clean slate. To confirm some of your ideas, yes, Akane forgot she loved Ranma, but that doesn't mean she can't learn to love him again. As you have seen, some feelings for him still linger, and she will slowly realize that he is _Everything She Wants_. I don't know how many chapters this story will have, but it will end up with them together. I don't want to rush it and get them together right away, because it would belittle Ranma's effort, Akane's wish. I hope you force yourself to read it, even when things get really bad (yeah! BTW, this is not bad, yet). Thank you for sticking around, and as always, your reviews and follows/favorites keep me writing


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Akane had arrived home before Ranma returned from his impromptu call from work at Tanaka's, taking advantage that it was not a school night. Having nothing else to do, he had accepted to work the extra time to have some spare money to buy Akane flowers to welcome her back from her trip. After the unexpected kiss they shared in her room, his mind had been racing with the possible conversations they could have when she returned.

After a full day of work, and avoiding the obvious advances from Emi while at it, he finally left the premises of the sushi bar and headed to the flower store. He arrived just in time before they closed for the day, and picked the biggest bouquet of pink carnations he could find. After paying the happy owner, he returned home.

As soon as he walked in, Kasumi gave him the good news that Akane had returned. He asked where she was at the time, and Kasumi replied she was in her room with Nabiki, talking about her trip. Kasumi informed Ranma that Akane had stated her retreat had been amazing, and that she could not wait to go back for more. Ranma was happy to hear she had had the time to relax after her two accidents, reminding him that he was not the only one going through a bad time.

"She's gonna love those flowers, Ranma," Kasumi told him.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Ranma smiled to himself, already pumped by Kasumi's informal blessing. He waved goodbye to Kasumi and made his way up the stairs. He placed his ear on the door, wondering how much of their conversation he could listen to, but Nabiki immediately opened the door.

Ranma glared at her, remembering her taunts and threats. He looked behind Nabiki and saw that the room was empty. He frowned, wondering where Akane had gone to. Nabiki did not wait long to begin her new plan.

"Ranma-kun, flowers for me? You shouldn't have!" she said as she tried to grab the bouquet by its vase. He quickly raised the vase above her where she could not reach it and walked around her to Akane's desk to place the floral arrangement on it.

"I didn't. They ain't for you."

"I see," she said, smiling to herself. "My sister is so in-demand today. First Ryouga, now you."

Ranma turned around as soon as he heard his rival's name. Nabiki covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh! Shucks! I wasn't supposed to say that! Well, as long as you don't go searching for them in the dojo, then it's OK, right?"

Ranma did not let Nabiki say anything else. He jumped on the windowsill and was about to leave, but then he looked back at Nabiki who was still standing there.

"Don't touch Akane's flowers, or I'll tell Kasumi you stole her favorite apron."

"Borrowed, dear. The word is borrowed!" Nabiki screamed to him as he left the room. Nabiki, knowing her work for the night was done, closed the door behind her, leaving the trio to deal with their agendas by themselves.

Ranma approached the dojo but did not enter. He stood outside, listening to the conversation.

"So, Ryouga-kun, what is it that you want to tell me?"

"Akane, we've known each for some time, and I feel like we've connected very well. Wouldn't you agree?"

Akane's eyes shifted from side to side, wondering where the conversation was heading. She considered Ryouga a close friend, but only because in the end, he always helped Ranma in his own strange ways. He was considerate of her whenever they saw each other, but Akane believed it was due to him feeling regret for cutting her hair when they first met.

"Uh, sure," Akane responded, feeling uncomfortable for some reason. Her eyes found the closest exit as she readied to make her escape from the conversation that was making her feel awkward, but her escape was halted when she saw the shadow of someone behind the doors. She had stopped listening to Ryouga the moment she saw the shadow while Ryouga continued his jabbering about them, and going out, and such. She could not stop the smile on her face when she recognized the shape of the person outside.

Ryouga, on the other hand, took Akane's excitement as a sign that she was accepting his proposition to date. Akane had no idea what he was talking about as she stood up and headed to the door.

"Akane? What do you think?"

Akane looked down at him, desperate to go outside to meet Ranma. She tried to think about what he had just said, but she had tuned him out a while ago.

"Uh, sure! You're absolutely right! But, I really gotta go now."

Ryouga was beaming. Akane had just accepted his courtship of her. As soon as she had finished speaking, Ranma's shadow disappeared, leaving the dojo and the home before Akane reached the door.

"I'm so happy, Akane! I'll have to run some errands, but I will be back soon, OK?"

"OK, Ryouga-kun. I have to go now."

Ryouga saw Akane run out of the dojo, and he mistook her hurriedness for shyness.

_"My dear Akane Tendo, I will show you that I'm the better man!"_

Without another word, Ryouga left the premises, promising to return for his beloved, very soon.

Akane ran around her house, searching for Ranma but he was nowhere to be found. She went inside the house and searched for him everywhere but no one knew where he was. Her final stop was to her room, where she found her welcome home gift on her desk. She leaned over them and inhaled. The bouquet was big and the flowers were fresh. She searched inside the arrangement and found a small card.

With shaking hands, she opened the card, and confirmed her suspicious regarding the identity of the person responsible for such a sweet act.

_"I have to talk to him."_

With that task in mind, Akane exited her window and waited on the roof of her home for Ranma to come back.

xxxXXXxxx

It was not until midnight that Ranma returned home. After hearing that Akane had accepted Ryouga's request to court her, he could not make himself stay any longer. He had spent the last four hours aimlessly walking the city, thinking about how he had lost his chance with her. After years and years of trying, Ryouga had finally beaten him at something- winning Akane's heart.

_"It's my fault! I shouldn't have denied what I said to her in Jusenkyo!"_

He reached the entrance gate of the Tendo residence, but could not bring himself to opening it up. The images of Jusenkyo returned to him, mocking his inability to open up to her about how grateful he was to her.

_"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will thank her for being there for me."_

Ranma hit his head on the gate a couple times. After all this time, they had not spoken about the events of Jusenkyo, and he had not even attempted to thank her or ask her if she was feeling better after being shrunk to toy size. She had not attempted to bring up the conversation either, but he knew her experience was not one that was easily forgotten.

He jumped over the fence and landed on the roof. He did not want to make any noise by walking inside through the front door. Besides, he wanted to make sure Akane's flowers were still in her room, and that Nabiki had not taken them when he was gone.

He took small steps toward her room, and stopped when his eyes landed on the lump on the roof. He walked closer and moved to the side, allowing the moonlight to shine on the mysterious form asleep on the roof.

His curiosity was piqued when he saw her familiar face. It was Akane, curled up to protect herself from the weather. He immediately kneeled next to her and touched her face. She was cold.

_"How long have you been out here, you idiot?!"_

Not caring that he could wake her up, he picked her up in his arms and carefully took them both inside her room. The movement caused her to open her eyes, reaching for her savior's face.

"Ranma?"

He nodded as he led her to her bed, placing her under the covers and tucking her in. "What were you doing out there, Akane? You could get sick!"

Akane, refusing to be put down to sleep for the night, sat on the bed and pulled on Ranma's arm.

"Wait, don't go."

"Akane…I…shouldn't be here. It's late."

"Ranma, the reason I was outside…I was…waiting…for you."

"For me? Why?"

"I…wanted to…to…"

Ranma frowned. She was probably waiting for him to tell him the news about her and Ryouga's new relationship.

"I heard you and Ryouga talking, Akane. You don't have to say anything, I already know."

"Know what?"

"About you and Ryouga, dating."

"WHAT?"

Ranma covered her mouth his hand, looking back at the door hoping no one heard her scream.

Akane removed his hand from her mouth, but kept holding on to it with both of hers. The gesture was not lost to Ranma.

"Are you on crack? That's the stupidest idea I've heard in my life, you baka!"

"What? You mean you and Ryouga are not together?"

"No! What makes you think that?"

Ranma swallowed hard at her revelation. Maybe he had misunderstood them? He was certain he had heard Ryouga declaring his love for her, and Akane accepting his proposal. How was that not an indication of a new relationship?"

"Well, Ryouga's always liked the tomboyish type. So, I thought…"

Akane frowned. They had called each other all kinds of names since they met, but hearing him calling her a tomboy at this moment, had struck a nerve within her soul. She did not understand why it had, as he had called her that before. He had called her many worse things, in fact.

Ranma, seeing her displeasure at his joke, hit himself inside. Why did he always have to run his mouth? He panicked as he realized what he had done when Akane turned her back to him and asked him to leave.

"No! Akane, wait!"

She did not respond.

He almost got up and left the room, just as he would have any other time, but he stopped himself. He had not gotten a job scrubbing floors, signed his death sentence by choking an Amazon, and lost his only childhood friend to just walk away.

"Akane, are you awake?"

She, again, did not respond.

"I know you're listening to me, so pay attention."

Akane's movement to readjust her blanket told him she was awake and listening to him.

"I can understand why Ryouga likes tomboys like you. I…I like them, too."

Akane did not say anything, so he kept talking.

"Especially the ones that could kick my ass and set me back in line. It's…kind of a turn on, if you ask me."

Akane's face beamed at his words. She swallowed her heart back in place and allowed him to continue his speech.

"But, what's more of a turn on to me is the fact that a tomboy could be very sexy, when she wants to be. As much as uncute as she acts sometimes, it's amazing how easily she can wrap me around her finger, with a simple smile."

Akane was too nervous to say anything else. His words repeated in her head. She could not believe how he could make her feel insulted _and_ flattered at the same time.

"So, if you happen to know a girl that matches that description, which might be interested in hanging out with me sometime, give her my number. I like them short, athletic, confident, and not afraid to risk their lives for the people they love."

The pillow underneath her was wet with her tears. Ranma stood up and brushed his fingers in her hair before turning around and heading to the door.

"And, if it's not too much to ask, I'd love it if her first name was Akane."

Akane sat up and ran towards him, hugging him from behind. She pressed her cheek against his back and remained quiet until she found her voice again.

"I've got just the girl for you. She'll be waiting to meet you tomorrow, at 9 in the morning, at the entrance of Sakura mall."

Ranma closed his eyes, lowered his head, and smiled. He placed his hands on hers that surrounded his chest, giving them a light squeeze.

"I'll be there," he finally said when he felt her releasing him and returning to bed. He quietly made his way out of her room, and went to his to have the most peaceful sleep he had so far.

* * *

**A/N:** I will cut them some slack…for now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The sun had already set in Nerima, and being a Sunday night, the streets had been deserted hours ago. Children, teenagers and adults alike had already gone home to their families and were readying themselves to rest for the night. Children fought their parents, not wanting to go to bed just yet. Teenagers prepared their uniforms and school bags for tomorrow, and adults coordinated all of these efforts in their homes. _Everyone_ was calling it a night in Nerima in anticipation of the beginning of the workweek. Everyone, _except_ for two teenagers who laughed and chased each other in the night.

"Did you really have to flirt with the security guard, Akane?"

Ranma huffed and puffed behind Akane, allowing her to get ahead of him so she would not see his jealous face.

"Come on, Ranma! I was only trying to avoid our parents being called to pick us up at the mall office. Can you imagine how much trouble we would be in if the guy called our parents and told them we were detained for PDA?" Akane laughed, remembering what had occurred.

After coming out of the movie theater, they had stopped at a vending machine to buy a drink. Seeing no one else was around, the teens attempted to kiss each other behind the vending machines. To their luck, their efforts had distracted them from seeing the wet floor sign behind them and Akane slipped, taking Ranma down with her. A mall cop heard the ruckus and the screams, and he was not convinced that the scene of a boy on top of the girl had been the cause of an accident.

Akane turned back to see her fiancée still running after her, but not really trying to catch up with her. When she finally reached the gate of the Tendo residence, she stopped and rested her back against the fence. She took a moment to catch her breath, but she had still not finished giggling at the situation from which they had just escaped.

"There were other ways to get away from them, you know?" Ranma asked as he finally caught up with her and stood in front of her, leaving her pinned between him and the wall. He stared down at her, admiring the view.

She was wearing simple clothes –shorts, shirt, and sandals, clothes that no one would think to wear to a first date. However, when you are sneaking out of your marriage-crazy parents to date your betrothed behind their backs, dressing up would only cause unwanted attention you could not afford to attract.

Her cheeks and eyes were slightly red from all the laughing she had done, and a few tears of laughter had escaped her eyes. She used her hand to fan herself, finally feeling the heat rising from the entire ordeal at the mall. Ranma stood there watching her every move, still not believing that he and Akane had gone out.

Akane, who had finally caught her breath and had stopped laughing, lifted her hands to his neck to adjust his collar that had been disarranged during their encounter. "What other ways are there? You mean, you beating the shit out of them so they don't remember who we are?"

"That's one."

Akane rolled her eyes. "You can't expect to solve all your problems with violence, Ranma." She said as she finished fixing up the collar of his shirt. When she began lowering her hands, Ranma caught them in his and took them to his lips, placing soft kisses on her wrists. Akane followed his movements, still failing to believe how natural his touches felt to her. _"It's like I'd always felt something for him."_

He closed his eyes, kissed her knuckles on both hands, and opened his eyes to stare at her without letting go of her hands. "Akane, before we go in, I need to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Without his eyes leaving hers, he whispered his thoughts to her.

"It's about…Jusenkyo."

"Oh. What about it?"

Ranma hesitated for a second before he continued.

"I never really thanked you for your help. If it hadn't been for you, I'd…never…Well, we wouldn't be here right now."

Akane gave him a half-smile, lightly squeezing his hands. "Don't be ridiculous, Ranma. You would have found a way to…you know…I trusted you would bring me back."

"No, Akane. Don't say that. It was _you_ who helped me through it, not…not the other way around. And, what you heard from me…what I denied before the wedding…"

Akane silenced her fiancée by getting on her toes and pressing her lips on him for just a moment. The boy immediately closed his eyes and returned the quick kiss.

"Akane…I want you to know…"

Akane shook her head. "Not now, Ranma. Not until I can return…"

Ranma closed his mouth. He understood her concern. She knew that he had declared his love for her, and she knew that he knew the cat was out of the bag. However, somewhere along the road, Akane's feelings had been diminished to the point that she could not utter those words he wanted from her. He was disappointed to know her feelings for him were not as strong, but in a way, he was happy that he would have the chance to make her fall for him all over again.

_"Without mistakes, this time."_

"I understand. You won't regret it, Akane."

Akane nodded, knowing she would not regret it. After spending the day with him, she questioned herself why she had not fallen for the boy since day one. His charm was one to be reckoned with, and even though arguments were bound to happen, they only added excitement to what she believed was the best relationship she could ever have.

_"Why didn't I see this before?"_

After a last long kiss, Ranma carried Akane to her window, leaving her inside before making it to his own room. For the first time ever, Ranma could not wait for morning to come. He could not wait for them to walk to school, to spend their lunch together, to walk back home, hand-in-hand. For the first time, in a long time, everything in his life was all right.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma and Akane walked down the path to school in their usual spots on the fence and sidewalk, respectively. They waited until they were a few blocks away from home before Ranma jumped down from the fence to walk next to Akane, holding onto her hand as he did. Akane smiled to her fiancée, showing him she was as thrilled as he to walk to school together.

Even though their families had no idea about the change that had occurred between them, practically overnight, they knew the school would be the safest ground to spend some time together. Nabiki and Kuno would graduate at the end of the semester, and Akane and Ranma would become seniors next year. Ranma could not wait for high school to end so that he could take the next step in his engagement with Akane.

As they approached the school entryway, Ranma pulled Akane behind a tree, cupped her face with his hands and pulled her up to kiss her. Akane giggled as he did, and scrunched the sides of his shirt in her hands. She mentally categorized this type of kiss from him, as she had done the ones from yesterday. This one, she would call the_ I-wish-I-could-kiss-you-longer-but-we-gotta-go-to-school_ kiss.

Not letting go of her face after the kiss ended, he spoke.

"Akane, I need to ask for a favor?"

"What's that?"

"I haven't spoken to Uc-chan since…well…I…she might be mad at us for a while. Don't take anything she says seriously, please? Shit! Don't take what _anyone_ in this fucking school says about me and other girls seriously. The only one that matters to me is you, OK?"

"Ranma, I don't understand why –"

"Akane, please. Just trust me on this, OK?"

"OK."

With a quick smile to each other, Ranma and Akane walked around the tree and made their way inside the school, walking next to each other as any other day.

"Akane! Over here!"

Akane saw her friends running towards her after they had waved at her. In front of the couple stood Yuka and Sayuri, visibly riled up about something.

"Hey, girls! What's going on?"

The two girls looked at Ranma and waved at him. They did not notice anything different with them, so determined that their conversation was not going to affect the boy.

"Akane, did you call that hunk Orochi? He musta been waiting by the phone for your call!"

Akane flinched at the statement, and wished she had never accepted the senior's phone number at all. She felt Ranma's gaze on her and saw him cross his arms on his chest.

"Oh! I…didn't even think about him at all. I had other things on my mind, this weekend."

"Like what? What can be more important than a sizzling senior who has the hots for you?"

Ranma did not say a word but refused to walk away from the conversation. Akane had not mentioned any Orochi or anything to him. They had spent together the entire day, giving her plenty of time to bring up a detail as such. Akane scratched her head wondering why Yuka and Sayuri had the worst timing, ever. Then again, they had pushed her to give Ranma a chance. Their current actions could not be anything else than an attempt to test the waters between them.

"Other things, you know? I don't think about boys all the time."

Yuka suddenly noticed that Ranma's posture was not a relaxed one, and his eyes were glued on Akane.

"Ranma, are you OK?"

Ranma responded to her without removing his eyes from his fiancée. "Yeah, just dandy. Hey, Akane, maybe you want to go back to your trip with the debate team, uh? This Orochi guy sounds just _charming_."

Akane glared at him for an instant, but her anger was gone as quick as it had appeared. She should have told Ranma something about Orochi, but she did not think it was relevant, especially since he went to another school, and the fact that she had no interest in him.

"Oh, Ranma! You don't have the slightest! He spent most of the trip with her. He even saved her from drowning in the pool!"

Ranma clenched his jaw. _"He touched her? He touched her while wearing that thong?!"_

Akane could see Ranma's anger rise by the minute. She knew he did not do well with jealousy, and his possessiveness was tenfold when it came to her.

"_Jeez_, Akane. Do you still have this guy's number? I should drop him a line and _thank_ him," he spat between his teeth.

At this point, Akane's anger returned. Had he not been the one who just told her to ignore gossip about him and other girls? Why could he not do the same for her?

"I'm sorry, Ranma, but I threw away his number as soon as I came home."

"Did you, really? Oh, shucks, and here I was dying to meet this guy."

Sayuri clasped her hands. "You're in luck, Ranma! You can meet him today!"

"What?"

Both girls giggled as they turned around and pointed to the school entrance. Their fingers pointed to a tall boy resting his back against a pillar right before the steps to the main door. The couple looked up and saw the boy, making Akane cringe.

"What…what's he doing here?"

"He transferred to school today. I bet he's been waiting for you. He hasn't moved from there since he got here."

_"Oh, brother! Ranma's gonna kill him,"_ Akane thought as she eyed her fiancée from the corner of her eye. Before Akane could utter any calming words to her boyfriend, she felt herself being dragged closer to Orochi's location by Yuka and Sayuri.

"W-what are you doing?"

"What do you think? He's waited long enough, uh?"

"No! Wait! Stop!"

"Don't be shy, Akane. Ranma doesn't mind, do you?"

Ranma was too angry to talk. His eyes were glued to the man that had a smile on his face the moment he had realized Akane was being dragged his way. The pigtailed boy clenched his fists as he took a step closer to Orochi, but was suddenly stopped by someone bumping into his back.

"Hey! Watch out, would ya?"

"Sorry, Saotome! I just…wow…"

"Hiroshi?" Ranma took a moment to stare at his friend who looked like he had been too distracted by something to even care who he had just hit. "What's the big idea?"

"Nothing…just…isn't that one of your fiancées, Saotome?"

"What?"

Ranma's eyes followed the direction of Hiroshi's staring until the found a familiar face in the crowd. The girl's soft eyes met his glaring ones. He cracked his knuckles with his clenching and unclenching fists. The skin on his hand still burned with the sensation of her neck surrounded by his almost deadly grip.

"What the fuck are you doing here? I thought I told you to keep your distance."

The girl flinched for a moment but regained her confidence almost immediately. "Shampoo do same thing Ranma do here."

"And what is that? Are you here to pick a fight with Akane? Have you forgotten what I'd say I'd do to you?"

"Shampoo no forget. She here to learn."

"What?" Ranma took a moment to stare at Shampoo's attire; she was wearing a Furinkan High uniform. "Learn? Do you mean…?"

"Aiya! I come to school, just as airen."

_"Great! First that Orochi bozo, and now Shampoo." _Ranma thought as his face turned around, suddenly remembering whom his first objective had been. Akane, Yuka, Sayuri and Orochi were nowhere to be found.

Ranma turned back to Shampoo. "I don't care what you do here, just stay away from me and Akane. If you try anything funny with her, my hand will find a way to your neck again, and this time it won't stop."

Even though Shampoo was giving Ranma an angry look, inside she was screaming. This was the first time she saw him since she had beaten Akane at her house, and it was obvious he had not forgotten the incident. After a few days of discussing the situation with Cologne, the Chinese women decided to change their strategy and have Shampoo be near Ranma in a way he could not avoid.

The tardy bell woke up Ranma from his thoughts, making him rush inside the building. With Shampoo near, the last thing he needed was being kicked out of the classroom for being late. He could not afford to leave Akane alone.

_"I have to talk to her. Akane, why can't we ever get a break?"_

* * *

A/N: Did you all really think that I was going to make it easy for them? Psh, come on! You all know me better than that ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"HE DID _WHAT_?"

Daisuke stared at his friend with concerned eyes before he eyed the pissed off teacher at the front of the class. "Saotome, am I boring you?"

Ranma turned to face the teacher and then back to Daisuke before he lowered his face and apologized to the instructor. "No, teach. You ain't borin' or nothing."

"I'm sure," the teacher responded before he turned back to the board and continued his lecture on quadratic functions. Ranma waited a few seconds to allow the teacher to get back into his lecture-mode before he tore a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled a note on it. He folded it half way and left it at Daisuke's desk.

Daisuke opened the note and read it to himself.

_"Orochi joined the debate team?"_

Daisuke turned to his friend and nodded. Ranma ripped another piece of paper from his notebook and after writing on it, handed it to Daisuke again.

_"Why?"_

Daisuke looked up to see if he was out of the teacher's sight before scribbling an answer on the paper. He waited for the teacher to turn his back to them again before tossing Ranma the crumpled piece of paper. Ranma opened it up and read it.

_"He was the captain of the debate team at his ol' school. Why? What's it to ya?"_

The exchange continued for the rest of the class. As soon as the bell rang, Ranma stood up and left the room in such a hurry that the papers that had been left on the teacher's desk flew all around. Students in the hall felt a gust of wind rush by them, and their only visual testimony was the common streak of red they were accustomed to seeing when Ranma was around.

As he ran outside the building during lunchtime, he had his eyes set on finding Akane. After realizing half of his lunchtime was gone, he decided to give up his search and made his way to the roof. He had forgotten to get anything to eat during break, and after what had happened so far today, he did not feel like eating. He stood behind the rail of the roof, staring down at the school grounds. He saw Daisuke and Hiroshi sitting on the ground, eating with Yuka and Sayuri. He watched as Nabiki walked around campus collecting her debts from almost every single student on the ground. He then saw Kuno reciting poetry to the wind, and Gosunkugi reading a book with a black cover and a psychedelic-looking logo.

He sighed deeply as he stared at their _mundane_, everyday activities. In truth, he _envied_ all of them and their mundane, everyday activities. He swallowed hard as the images of his everyday life flashed before him. None of them had to endure what he had to endure. None of them had a curse than turned them into something they were not. None of them had to be constantly on guard for marriage-crazy girls following him everywhere they went. None of them had a handful of enemies they did not even know how or when had been acquired until it was too late. None of them had to hide their feelings for the person they…

_"Akane, where are you?"_

"Ranma Saotome," a voice behind him said his name with a hint of hatred in the tone. "I'm surprised you haven't kicked anyone's ass to get food today."

Ranma flinched at the voice but forced himself not to let his uneasiness show. He slowly turned around and rested his weight on the rail by holding it with his hands. Ukyo looked back at him, an unreadable gaze in her eyes.

"Hi, Ukyo."

"I see that your attempts to woo her worked."

"Woo her?"

"Don't play me for a fool, Saotome! I saw you two kissing behind the tree this morning. Are you trying to hide it from someone?"

Ranma scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He did not like where this conversation was going. "I thought we already had this discussion, Uc-chan."

"A few signs of affection won't fool me. Until she shows me that she is ready to fight for you, I'm not giving up."

Ranma growled. "Wait, what?" his voice raised a little higher than he had liked. "You told me that if I told you she loved me, you would leave us alone!"

"Well, I changed my mind. Funny how that works, uh?"

Ranma threw his hands in the air before beginning to make his way to the door to the stairs of the building. "Do whatever you want, just stay away from her."

"Isn't that what you told Shampoo? Much impact that threat of yours did to her," she chuckled. "Where do you think Akane is right now?"

Ranma froze before his hand reached the handle of the door. He dared not to turn around to prevent Ukyo seeing his face of panic. "What do you mean?"

"What, you haven't heard? The Amazon freak, the new hunk who transferred here today, and Akane Tendo are all hanging around together at the principal's office. Didn't she tell you? Oh! Does she keep secrets from you, now?"

Ranma did not dignify her teasing with a response. He opened the door and ran down the stairs at full speed, quickly reaching the hall where the principal's office stood. He did not get a chance to ask to see him when the door opened and Shampoo, Orochi and Akane walked out. Shampoo yelped in delight at seeing Ranma standing outside and ran to him, just like old times. She hugged him and rubbed her body all over him, while he screamed for her to get off. By the time Ranma was able to get her off him without another threat of her life, Orochi and Akane were gone.

"Son of a…"

Ranma ran down the hall and looked both ways once he reached the end. There was no sign of them. _"Did she not see me?!"_

Ranma's thoughts were interrupted by the bell. He growled and punched the closest wall to him before stomping his way to his next class. His next class was with Akane, and he was sure as hell he was going to demand some explanations.

_"How can the best day of my life turn into a fucking nightmare in three hours?"_

He arrived to his class and saw Akane sitting at her usual spot. The seats next to her where already taken, but that did not deter him from scaring off a poor soul from his already claimed seat. Akane rolled her eyes at the scene of Ranma forcing the nervous guy next to her to relinquish his seat to her fiancée. Once class started, Ranma took out a piece of paper, scribbled something on it, and placed it on Akane's desk.

Akane looked up from her notes to the professor, who was too engrossed in her lecture about chemical bonding before grabbing the small paper and opening it up.

_"Where the hell have ya been? I've been looking all over for you!"_

Akane's head snapped to her right, facing Ranma and giving him a sharp disapproving shaking of her head. She took a deep breath and exhaled from her mouth to calm her already upset mood before scribbling on the note and passing it back to Ranma.

He wasted no time in opening the paper and read the single sentence on it. He frowned and crumpled the paper before shoving it inside his pocket. _"We'll talk later,"_ she had written.

Ranma's feet were shuffling like crazy, wondering why the hell they could not talk now. What was so difficult about passing notes in class? He had done it with Daisuke this morning, and the teacher had not noticed them at all. He kept tapping his pencil on his desk, and stealing random glances at Akane. Ukyo was also staring at him from the corner of the room, smiling to herself.

_ "It's so easy to get him riled up."_

Shampoo, on the other hand, was sitting at the front of the class, her face blank at the complex balancing equations and compounds on the board. She did not think school would be so complicated; if _violent girl_ could do so well, so could she. However, after half a day in Furinkan High, she was beginning to have second thoughts about her great-grandmother's plan.

Ranma stared at the clock's hands as they slowly moved towards the time the class would end. They only had two more classes to go before they would go home. However, they would not go straight home. Ranma had to talk to her in private, and that meant away from everything and everyone. He did not know what had possessed him today, but he was feeling angry, sad, happy, confused and utterly jealous, all at the same time.

When the bell rang, he shoved his belongings inside his backpack and waited for Akane to do the same. P.E. class was next, so they had a few extra minutes to change into their athletic clothes. Akane finished packing her supplied and walked toward the door, failing to acknowledge Ranma at all. She stopped at Shampoo's desk and handed her a piece of paper. Shampoo smiled at Akane before the latter made her way to the door. Ranma quickly followed and walked beside her on their way to the gym.

"Are you talking to me at all today, or ever?"

Akane rolled her eyes for the nth time today and picked up her pace. "Ranma, we've got class, remember?"

Ranma suddenly stopped and pulled her arm, forcing her to stop abruptly as well. "I don't give a _fuck_ about class, k? Why have you been avoiding me today, and why were you with that Orochi guy? Do you like him that much?"

Akane glared back at him, forcibly pulling her arm from his grip. Ranma did not attempt to grab it back. "Ranma, _I _don't give a fuck about whatever you have going on right now. I've got things to do and, may I remind you, so do you. If you can't deal with us having our own lives outside whatever this," she said as she pointed to him and her back and forth several times. "Is…then I don't see the point in even trying to work things out. Now, if you excuse me, I have a class to attend to."

Ranma held back his tongue as he watched her walk away from him. He had enough for one day. He decided that school was not worth his damn time today, and after jumping off the closest window, he made his way to somewhere, anywhere, that was not home.

xxxXXXxxx

It was not until seven at night that Akane returned home. She was exhausted in more ways than one, and could not wait to eat, shower and hit her bed. She cursed the gods that had placed her in such an awkward situation at school, and hoped that tomorrow her day would be better.

_"And here I thought Ranma and I could hang around school."_

She sighed, remembering the exchange they had at the hall. She had not meant to be so short with him, but with everything that had happened to her that morning, the last thing she needed was a jealous-crazed fiancée manhandling her at school. She understood why he was so upset, but he had not attempted to hear her out; all he had wanted to know was why she had not been following him around like a lost puppy, very much so as his other fiancées, and where had she been all morning.

_"Probably thinks with Orochi."_

And, unfortunately, it was not entirely false. Her hand still felt disgusting to her from when he had kissed it. What did he think they had? Who did he think he was?

"Tadaima!" Akane yelled once she entered the home. Kasumi greeted her and hurried her up the stairs, telling her the bath was ready for her. Akane smiled at her godsend elder sister and rushed to her room to throw her backpack on the floor. She quickly gathered a set of fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom. After half an hour, Akane came out, already wearing her pajamas, and feeling much more relaxed.

The aroma of food entranced her, and she followed it to the kitchen where Kasumi was reheating today's dinner. Akane stood behind her sister as she filled the bowl with today's soup before sitting at the small kitchen table beginning to eat her food.

"Arigato, Kasumi-oneechan, I'm starving."

Kasumi gave her sister a bright smile before busying herself with preparations of tomorrow's meal. Fifteen minutes later, the front door open and Ranma's call was heard.

"Oi, Kasumi, that smells good! Can I have some?" the pigtailed boy said as he walked inside the kitchen, focusing his eyes on the back of his future sister-in-law. He had almost missed Akane's presence if she had not stood up in a hurry and deposited her empty bowl on the sink. "It was delicious as always, Kasumi. I'm heading to bed now. Goodnight."

Ranma watched his fiancée walk up to him, and he did not move. There was only one-way out of the kitchen, and he was not going to just letting her walk out. She stood in front of him as she waited for him to move out of her way, and when he did not, she looked down at her feet. Ranma had expected her to push him out of the way, or scream at him, but she did none. Instead, she whispered to him to please step aside. Ranma's resolve to make this difficult for her was lost.

He partially moved to his left, to allow Akane just enough space to step out of the kitchen. When she was almost out, he placed his arm around the front of her waist, with enough force to stop her on her tracks. He then bent down to her head to whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry. Can we talk, tonight?"

Akane swallowed hard. The warm breath in her ear made her shiver. She nodded to him, and he let go of her waist. She immediately left the room and headed upstairs. She still had homework to do before she went to bed. An hour later, Akane was putting away her school supplies and making sure her uniform was ready for the next day when a knock on her door startled her.

"Come in!"

A still damp Ranma walked in, just as last time, shirtless and barefoot, closing the door behind him. This time, though, Akane had to keep herself from looking. What had seemed as an ordinary sight just a few weeks ago today was a peepshow for her. She spent a few more moments adjusting her uniform to the hanger in order to calm her nerves. Once she felt back in control of herself, she turned around and saw Ranma sitting in her chair. His elbows rested on his knees and his face hung.

She walked up to him and stood in front of him, a questioning look on her face. He looked up to her and stared at her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, _anything, _but the words would not come to her. He could no longer control himself, so he surrounded her waist with his arms, and rested his right cheek on her stomach. Akane was confused by the gesture at first, but slowly eased into it by slowly running her fingers through his hair. They remained in the same position and in silence, until Ranma finally spoke, but did not let go of her.

"I couldn't wait to get off work today. I _missed _you, a lot."

Akane bit her lip. Something, in the way he had said those words to her, tugged at her heart. She did not know why tears were threatening to form in her eyes, so she closed them instead. She swallowed hard again, not daring to speak in case her voice would crack. She did not have to wait for long until Ranma spoke again.

"I know why it was a hard day for me. But, why was it for you?"

Akane wiped the tears from her face. She broke the embrace and sat on her bed. He turned to face her, still sitting in the chair. "Why don't you tell me about your day, first? I heard you left school after class."

Ranma shrugged. "Didn't want to stay around anymore. I had lots of things to think about."

Akane nodded. "Such as?"

"What's-his-face transferring to Furinkan…Shampoo suddenly becoming interested in getting a high school diploma…Ukyo giving me the cold shoulder…not seeing you…"

"I'm sorry I didn't mention Orochi before. I just…didn't think he was…important."

Ranma gave her a lopsided smile. "Really?"

She returned the smile. "Well, duh! Yeah, he saved me from drowning and all, but…he's not…well, you."

"I still want to have a talk with him; thank him for saving _my _girlfriend," he said, making sure she understood he meant to mark his territory with him.

"Who's your girlfriend?" Akane asked, suddenly remembering she had not mentioned anything about being his girlfriend. They had had one date yesterday, and even though their parents had engaged them together, she was not going to let this be so easy on him.

Ranma's smile faded and a frown replaced it. "I-I thought…that…well…you…and I…"

Akane laughed as his sudden insecurity. Ranma's frown deepened, making her laugh even harder. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I don't recall ever being asked if I wanted to be anyone's girlfriend."

Ranma slapped his face at the realization. He hated how easily she could make him squirm. "Is this what's it about? Akane, we're engaged!"

"Not by choice! Are you just assuming I'm yours because of what our fathers agreed upon?"

"No, of course not!"

"Oh, so you just assumed that after one date I belonged to you?"

"No, dammit, Akane! I just…"

"You just thought that I'm yours because all the girls want to be with you?"

"No! Akane! I just thought you were my girl because I love you!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. He had tried to tell her how he felt last night, and she had asked him not to say the words until she could reciprocate them. He had not meant to go against her wishes; he just called it as he saw it.

"I better go," he finally said. He stood up from his chair but Akane placed her hands on his shoulders and sat him back in the chair. She then rested one of her knees on his thigh, bending down to place her face above his. "I could too, you know? I want to."

She closed the distance between them and sealed their apologies with a kiss. This kiss she categorized under _I-would-be-pinning-you-on-a-bed-if-our-parents-would-not-film-it _kiss. She smiled at her own internal joke before breaking the kiss and sitting back on her bed. She turned her lamp off and the room became dark save for the light of the moon coming through the window. She got under the covers and pushed her back as far as it would go on the wall behind it. After she was done, she patted the space in front of her, and it took Ranma a few seconds to realize what she was doing.

"Akane, I shouldn't…"

"Don't you want to know why my day was as shitty as yours?"

Ranma chuckled at her choice of words before finally getting up from the chair and lying on the bed on his left side, but still above the covers. He could not trust himself if he were to tuck himself under the covers with her. He grabbed the only hand that was still above the covers and kissed it before looking back at her with a smile.

"What kind of shit hit your zip code today, 'kane?"

* * *

**A/N:** No, I haven't forgotten, but I have not been in the muse's good side lately. I hope a few reviews will renew my faith in being under the muse's good lights again, very soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ranma spat blood in the bathroom sink, for the third time. The words Akane had spoken to him last night still rung in his ears, making his anger flow through every inch of his body. The latest victim of his madness had been his gums. He had brushed his teeth with such fervor that his gums began to bleed. He immediately stopped when he saw the bloody toothbrush. He had rinsed it thoroughly and after a few gargles, his gums finally stopped the pouring of red liquid.

He dried his face before stepping out of the bathroom and heading back to his room to get dressed. Akane passed him by on her way to the bathroom to get ready for school. She gave him a quick smile, which he immediately returned. She disappeared behind the corner of the hall, and he walked inside his room and plopped down on the futon.

He stared at the ceiling, his head on his pillow and his arms extended horizontally on either side of his body. After a while, he closed his eyes and recalled Akane's story of her day at school yesterday. Not only had Orochi joined the debate team to be spending two days out of the week with Akane after school –which happened to be the days he did not work, but she also had to tutor Shampoo three times out of the week to catch her up in school. It had been the Principal's wonderful idea –though Akane thought Shampoo's potions had something to do with it, to have one of the female top junior students –Akane, tutor the newcomer from China.

Originally, the task of giving Orochi the tour of the school had not been assigned to Akane. After few negotiations, Nabiki had relinquished her task to her younger sister, calling a few favors from the principal himself. When Akane had confronted her yesterday, Nabiki had said she had better things to do than to play escort to a man who was obviously already interested in someone else. Akane reluctantly agreed to the principal's request and had introduced Orochi to the school grounds during lunch. For the remainder of the week, however, Akane was to spend lunchtime with the new student to show him the ropes of Furinkan High.

Akane's new after school schedule for the next month would include visiting Shampoo or Shampoo visiting the Tendo home to tutor, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She would then continue to practice Tuesdays and Thursdays with the debate team for the last tournament of the year. Ranma had almost jumped out the window of Akane's room last night when she told him what the orders from the principal were. He wanted nothing more than to run to the Kuno estate and beat the principal senseless. After Akane's soothing words, he finally calmed down on the outside, for her, but inside, he was a volcano ready to erupt.

The only good thing that had come up out of this was that the days Shampoo could drop in to tutor with Akane he would be busy at work. Then again, Emi had increased her advances at him, and it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore her without risking losing his job. It was not much to live off, but it was enough to help the Tendos pay back the loan they obtained due to the damage caused by his many fiancées. He would hold on to it as long as he could, even if they made him scrub the floors with an old toothbrush.

He heard Kasumi calling everyone for breakfast so he stood up and got dressed. He ran down the stairs and into the living room to find the rest of the family already eating. He grabbed a few bites here and there, stealing quick glances at Akane as he did. Once breakfast was almost done, Nabiki snapped her fingers as a gesture to show she had just remembered something important, catching the attention of everyone at the table.

"Hey, Akane! This came in the mail for you, yesterday."

Akane grabbed the postcard Nabiki had left on the table and read it to herself. Ranma kept himself from peeking over her shoulder, pretending that there was no interest on his part about what Akane did or did not do. Akane finished reading the postcard and placed it inside her backpack before excusing herself from the table.

"Ranma, we're gonna be late!"

"What? Oh, yeah!"

Ranma inhaled the remainder of his food before excusing himself from the table as well, and running after Akane. After they had run a handful of blocks away from home, Akane stopped and looked behind her to see if Nabiki was around. Ranma had already caught up with her and stood a few feet away from her. "So, who sent you the postcard?"

Akane handed it to Ranma, and he read it aloud.

_My Dear Akane Tendo,_

_I have spent the last few days in Okinawa, and will arrive at Nerima within a week. I have settled my personal matters that prevented me from being with you. I apologize for waiting until the last minute, but I will make up for it._

Love,

_Ryouga Hibiki_

Ranma read the postcard a couple more times before lifting his head to face Akane who just stood there, speechless.

"The _fuck_?"

Akane growled at Ranma's response. "I don't know! What does he mean _being _with me?"

"Akane…you don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

Ranma rubbed his face with his hands in exasperation. "Akane, you…were you paying attention to Ryouga's conversation last time you saw him?"

"Uhm…"

"Do you remember agreeing to something?"

Akane scratched her head as she recalled bits and pieces of their conversation. "I remember him talking…"

"About?"

"His…travels?"

Ranma sighed. "Not exactly. Where you even listening to him, at all?"

Akane scratched the back of her head and gave him a shy smile. "No."

Ranma scoffed.

"Ranma, I swear I don't remember. I was…distracted…"

"With what?"

"You, actually."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Akane began, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting with her skirt. "I saw you were outside the dojo, and…I wanted to talk to you…so…I kinda tuned him out."

Ranma took a deep breath. He felt relieved that she had not knowingly accepted Ryouga's invitation to court her because she was concentration on getting to him, but he also dreaded the situation she had unwillingly set herself on. "Akane, he asked you to…date him."

"H-he…what?"

"Ryouga, he asked if you would be OK if he tried to…woo you, I guess."

"Are…are you sure?"

Ranma nodded. "And you said yes."

Akane's jaw dropped. She opened her mouth a few times but nothing came out. How was she going to get out of this one, now? Akane's shocked face turned into a frown and she massaged her forehead with two of her fingers. "Ryouga, he's gonna be so sad when I decline him. How could I have been so stupid?! I didn't even know Ryouga liked me…that way."

"A lot of guys do, Akane."

"You just say that because you like me."

"No," he began, getting closer to her and stroking her cheek with his knuckles. "I say it because I love you."

Akane felt the same pang of guilt in her stomach as she did last night. She felt happy to hear him say the words, but she felt guilty for not being able to say them back. She liked Ranma, a lot. Physically, he was not soreness to anyone's eyes, and other than some random arguments here and there, he was very nice to her. Caring, even. Ranma saw the mental argument flash across her eyes, and he knew she was having a debate with herself regarding where her feelings for him stood.

"Akane, we should hurry," he said after a few moments of silence. Akane, grateful for the Get out of Jail Free Card he gave her, nodded to him. Her eyes darted in all directions before standing on her toes and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. She immediately turned around and began running towards Furinkan High, Ranma following closely behind, sporting an idiot smile on his face.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma poked his eyes with his index fingers as he sat at his desk in homeroom. He then bent down on the desk, hitting his forehead several times, as he continued to poke his eyes with so much force that it was starting to hurt. He felt Akane's hand on his back, rubbing circles on it, hoping to calm him. She heard him take deep breaths and exhale deeply as the professor continued to introduce the new transfer student.

"So, please welcome Ms. Kodachi Kuno," the professor finally said.

The entire class turned to Ranma when he uttered a painful whimper immediately after the professor finished saying Kodachi's name. Ranma felt like doing the most unmanly thing in the world just so that his mom stopped working on the renovation of the Saotome home just long enough to force him to commit seppuku.

"_Who the hell did I piss off Up There?"_

After a few more moments of Akane's rubbing his back, he finally stood straight on the desk and rubbed his eyes that had begun to water under the pressure of being poked. He looked to the front of the class and saw Shampoo and Kodachi exchanging glares. He looked back to the corner of the room and saw Ukyo glaring at the back of Shampoo and Kodachi's heads, and then he turned left and saw Akane's half smile aimed at him where she sat next to him.

"It's gonna be alright, Ranma."

Ranma rested his head on his upturn palm, staring at the silent argument in front of him. It turned out that the principal had slipped during family dinner that Shampoo had joined the school. Kodachi, unwilling to be left out of the fight for Ranma's heart, convinced her father to transfer her to Furinkan as well. Kodachi, being Daddy's little girl, got what she wanted –overnight, and was now joining the crew.

Akane, on her part, stared at her rivals with a confused look. What could they possibly achieve by putting their lives on hold for Ranma? Why were they so obsessed with being the one to win his attention? Ukyo was a young, successful business owner. She had a bright future ahead of her in the okonomiyaki business. Shampoo was very pretty and strong, and could probably do well in her tribe and go up the ranks if she wanted to. Kodachi, well, she had a very bright future ahead of her as a…model patient at a…_mental_ institution.

Then, there was Akane. She was not as strong as Shampoo, she did not know how to cook like Ukyo, and was not wealthy like Kodachi. For the briefest moment since she decided to give Ranma a shot, she felt something she had not felt in a long time.

Insecurity.

Why was Ranma with her, anyway? Was it because of the dojo? Was it because she was the easy choice? Was it because he already lived with her? Or was it just because he loved her?

Akane sighed as she doodled on her notebook. He had said it twice already, to her and her only. He did not love the other girls, did he? He meant it when he said it to her, didn't he?

"Tendo Akane, the answer for question five, please?"

Akane dropped her pencil on the floor and stared at the professor with a shocked face. She looked down at her paper and realized she had not answered a single question and the professor was already on number five. "I…uh…"

"Miss Tendo, if you spent less time gawking at your fiancée and more time gawking at your notes, perhaps you'd get something out of this class, ne?"

"Hai, Sensei! Gomen," she said, unable to hold the pinkish glow on her cheeks. Ranma stared at her for a moment wondering what had distracted her. Akane was not easily distracted at school –she was a good student. He saw her lower her head in embarrassment. Ranma bent down and picked up her pencil from the floor and handed it back to Akane. She was unable to look up to face him and just nodded as she grabbed the pencil from him.

Ranma could not help to smile at how cute she looked when she was self-conscious.

"Saotome, do I have to tell you to gawk less at your fiancée, too?" The teacher asked in a boring manner as he had watched the pencil exchange. Ranma's eyes did not leave his fiancée's, and his brain did not filter his mouth as he spoke.

"Maybe you should, teach. How can I _not_ gawk at her when's so pretty?"

The catcalls from the class did not wait. The teacher rolled his eyes and waved them off, mumbling something about teenagers and hormones. He turned around and continued writing on the board. Akane's blush had escalated after his reply to the sensei, and she could feel heat radiating from her face and neck. Her hands were tucked in between her knees and she fidgeted under her desk. Ranma smiled at her posture and was about to lean over to whisper something to her when a well-placed chui hit him straight on the face.

Ranma waited as the weapon fell to the floor before looking up to Shampoo's direction, a scowl evident on her otherwise smooth face. He saw her switch her glare from him to Akane, emphasizing her intentions by her throbbing fists. Ranma knew the warning signs of an Amazon ready to fight and he did not like where her anger was aiming at. Akane was still trying to calm down from the open flirting and had not noticed that Ranma had been hit; much less that Shampoo was shooting daggers at her from her eyes.

Shampoo seemed to remember Ranma's threat as she stared at him one more time with a face of desperation he had seen on her the last time he had walked into the Nekohanten. She turned back to face the front of the class, making Ranma feel grateful that Shampoo did not have to tutor with Akane today. Then again, she did have to stay after school to attend her debate practice, and Shampoo or Kodachi could make a move then.

He decided that he had to stay behind today and assure that neither of the two lunatics harmed her. Besides, if he were lucky enough, he would have a chance to finally meet with Orochi and set the record straight. Thinking about Orochi made him remember Akane's conversation last night. He looked down at his notebook and tore a piece of paper from one of the pages. He scribbled something on it and left it at Akane's desk as the bell rang.

He did not want to further embarrass her, so when he saw the other three girls leave the room; he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"See you at lunch, babe," he said, knowing she would be too shocked by the random term of endearment to move. He ran with a speed only he could achieve in such a short time and left the room.

Akane, who had just begun to recover from the previous incident, froze on the spot at the nickname he had used on her. She watched him leave in a rush and when he was gone from sight, a slight blush returned to her. This time, however, a weird feeling in her stomach, and a small tug in her chest accompanied the flush.

"_Yup, he loves me."_

Akane left the classroom with a skip in her step, looking forward to seeing him soon.

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's HIGHLY unlikely Ranma would ever use such words as babe, honey, dear, etc…that's more Ryouga's style, BUT, I couldn't help myself. I hope you liked the fluff…while it lasts.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_"Why, Ranma? After everything I've done for you!" she thought._

_Akane lay on her bed, clutching to her pillow for dear life. She hoped if she buried her face in the item, her sobs would be muffled. The pain was unbearable; it stung within her chest. It traveled up her neck and into her mouth. She could feel the effort it took her body to create the sob. She felt the emotion welling up inside of her, crawling up the edges of her neck and into her jaw._

_ "Why can't I just forget about you?" she whispered._

_ She felt her eyes begin to sting from so many tears; so many tears she had shed for him.  
"Please, please, I don't want to love him anymore. It hurts. It hurts so much," she whispered again._

_ She inhaled deeply, hoping for the pain to subside, but it did not; it never did. She coughed a little, chocking on her own waterworks. The shaking of her core muscles helped her body regain a little composure, but as soon as her mind showed her memories of the failed wedding, the new wave of pain that came crashing down was ten times more intense than the last._

_ "I just want to be happy! I just want to stop loving him, needing him. I just want it to stop!"_

_ She was surprised no one had heard her whispered pleas by now. She swore that in the silence and stillness of her home, her words pierced the paper-thin walls like fire. No one had come to comfort her, to save her from the bottomless ocean she had built inside her room. She was kicking and screaming, feeling the water fill her lungs. Yet, no one came to her rescue. She continued her praying, alone._

"_I just want…to wake up one day…and forget what it is to love him. I wish…I wish I could forget my love for him."_

_ For the briefest moment, she felt as if the imaginary water was forcefully knocked out of her lungs. She then felt a warmth envelope her body, lulling her to sleep. "Go to bed, child. Everything will be better tomorrow," she heard a disembodied voice say to her. Had it been any other night, she would have jumped out of her bed and reached out for her bokken, but not tonight. Tonight, she welcomed the comforting words and relaxing sensation, losing herself to sleep._

"Akane-san?"

Akane blinked rapidly as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She realized that she was sitting under a tree with her bento box still on her lap, unopened. She _was_ wearing her school uniform. She _was_ on school grounds. Her peers and upperclassmen enjoyed their own lunches close by. Yet, she felt as if she had just woken up from a nightmare.

_"Was I daydreaming? What was that?" _

"Akane-san? Are you alright?"

Akane finally looked up and saw Orochi with a plate from the school cafeteria in his hands. For a moment, she did not understand what he was doing there until he sat down next to her. He rested his back against the tree and bent his right leg towards his chest. He rested his right arm on his knee and smiled at Akane. "You were so deep in thought, Akane-san. I didn't want to disturb you."

"Orochi-sempai, gomen. I was…distracted."

"Akane-san, I've already told you. You don't have to be so formal with me."

"Hai, demo I also told you that I cannot force myself to be so disrespectful."

Orochi did everything possible to avoid rolling his eyes at her. He was getting nowhere fast with her, and finding out that the girl he was crushing on was engaged to a complete nobody made his blood boil. He had never had such difficulty getting the attention of a girl. Money, however, had always helped him with difficult matters, and requesting an immediate transfer to Furinkan High had not been any problem.

It also helped that the principal of the school was easily sold, and his request to have an escort for the week had also paid off. After negotiating the terms of the agreement with the girl named Nabiki, he had secured four days of quality time with Akane.

Everything had seemed to go his way, especially when Akane's friends had dragged her to the school entrance to meet him. This morning, however, he had received the news that the boy she had arrived to school with was her fiancée. A quick look at the boy had told him everything he needed to know: he did not have a penny to his name.

"Akane-san, what are your plans for today after school?"

Akane, who had now began to eat her food, stopped in her tracks. "Well, we have debate practice today."

"Of course, but for someone as smart as you, the practice is overkill. What after it?"

"Home."

"Ah! Mind if I walk you to your residence?"

Akane stuffed her mouth with food, and took her sweet time chewing it. Orochi took a page out of her book and began eating his food as well. He was certain his tall, slender, brown-haired, and green-eyed looks would secure him an afternoon with Akane. All he had to do was wait for her to fall for him. How could any woman in her right mind reject him over a low-class man like Ranma Saotome?

Akane took a sip of her drink to wash down the food. She delayed her answer as long as she could to give her fiancée time to find her. Even though she was still shaken by his unusual display of affection earlier this morning –and he was yet to pay for that favor, she hoped that his words had been true and he would seek her out right now. She cleared her throat before smiling wide at the pigtailed boy who, sure enough, was now standing in front of them.

"Sorry I'm late, Akane. The cafeteria's a jungle."

He casually sat in between her and Orochi, completely disregarding the glaring man. Ranma began taking bites of his seaweed bread and chewing at his leisure. Orochi set his food aside and stood up to face Ranma. "Saotome-kun, I'm sorry we have to leave in such a hurry, but Akane-san is to show me around campus today."

Ranma, clearly not amused or intimidated by his towering stance, swallowed the rest of his bread in one bite, and took a sip of his drink. He then gave Orochi a cheeky smile. "Oh! Don't worry, Orochi. I'm done eating," Ranma said before turning to Akane. "What about you, Akane? Are you ready to walk around school?"

Akane took a sip of her drink before nodding. She wrapped her now empty bento box with Kasumi's cloth. Ranma stood up to face her, and gave his back to Orochi as he extended his arm towards his fiancée. Akane gladly accepted the help and stood up next to him.

"Let me help ya with that," Ranma said pointing at the box and her drink. He held the box under his arm as he grabbed both his and Akane's empty cans and threw them at a trashcan some distance away from where he stood. When the cans fell inside the trash container with great aim, Ranma turned his face to Orochi with a smug grin. "Good aim, ne?"

Orochi did not respond. He instead turned looked behind Ranma to stare at Akane. "Akane-san, do you find it appropriate to bother Ranma-kun during his break time? Surely he has better things to do with his time."

Akane smiled. "Actually, Ranma and I were supposed to meet for lunch. We can still give you a tour of the school, though. I'm sure Ranma won't mind the change of plans."

"Not at all, Akane! Where should we go first?"

Orochi's smile faded. He did not like at all where this conversation was headed. He was supposed to be alone with her, not drag along the sorry ass of her fiancée. Akane cleared her throat to catch Orochi's attention.

"Well, yesterday I showed him the library, the auditorium and the fields. What else is there to show him?"

Ranma snapped his fingers as if to show an idea had just popped up. "I know! Why don't I show him the areas you surely can't, Akane? Like, the boy's locker room, and such. Hey, Orochi, have you been able to find the boy's restrooms? I hope you ain't been holding it all this time waiting for Akane to show you where they are."

Akane hid a snicker under a false sneeze. "That's a great idea, Ranma!"

"Go take a break, Akane. I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright. Thank you, very much," she said as she walked up to him and gave him a quick peek on the cheek before turning around and disappearing in the crowd. Both men waited for Akane to completely disappear from earshot before their true intentions were shown.

"I know what you're trying to do, but Akane doesn't fall for those tricks. She's smarter than that," Ranma said as he turned around to face Orochi.

"I'm afraid I'd have to question her intelligence, seeing as she's interested in someone like you."

"As opposed to…instead of you?"

Orochi scoffed. "Young girls…they are easily amused by the bad boy attitude. However, that will soon fade and she will seek the comfort of a mature man."

Ranma laughed. "And you think you're mature? You're just a few months older than me, dumbass."

Orochi's anger was slowly rising, but he was not going to let it show. This was just what Ranma wanted, and he was not going to give him the pleasure of winning this little battle of egos.

"I'm in such a better position than you are. Yes, she's comfortable now, but what about when she is an adult? Do you think she'll settle for a good-for-nothing like you? What do you have to offer her, anyway? Do you think I don't know the conditions of your engagement? Rumors are easily bought around here."

"Yeah, well, whatever you heard, I'm sure it came from Nabiki Tendo. I wouldn't believe half of what she says."

Orochi crossed his arms. "Oh, so it's isn't true that your engagement was forced upon you by your parents? That you don't have the balls to ask her hand in marriage yourself and had to rely on your daddy to help you out? Or how about that you don't even have a place to call your own? Mooching off her family like the freeloader you've always been? Is all of that not true? What will you do when it's time to support her and she realizes you have holes in your pockets and nothing to offer her but your brute strength?"

Ranma's smile had disappeared at the mention of his lack of balls, and was now replaced by a snarl. Had everything that Orochi mentioned not been true, he would have not lost his cool as soon as he did. At some point between insulting his manhood and his ability to support Akane, he had lost his ability to invoke the soul of ice he was known for.

"Are you done with your speech? At the end of the day, she'll still be coming home with me."

"And at the end of the semester, she will be begging for me to take her away from you once she sees you for who you really are."

Ranma frowned at the boy's words. He was telling the truth, for the most part, but that did not mean Ranma had not thought about how to make it better for her. He thought about it every day.

"Look, all I'm gonna say is to stay away from her. Not because I'm afraid you'd steal her away, because you won't. But if you keep pulling that Romeo shit on her…"

"What? You're gonna kick my ass like you do everyone else who gets near her?"

Ranma chuckled. "Psh, as if. I don't have to defend Akane from punks like you. She will put you in your place, and in a far worse way that I could even think about. I'm just warning you because I don't want to be wasting my time –and hers, having to peel your sorry ass off the floor when she's done with you."

Ranma did not allow him to say anything else as he pushed Orochi aside before jumping on the treetops and roofs to reach the top of the building. His eyes scanned the school grounds, searching for Akane. All he wanted was five minutes with her, away from prying eyes. He still held onto her lunch box when the door to the roof slammed opened.

"Ranma-kun!" Sayuri yelled before falling to her knees, gasping for air. Ranma walked up to Akane's friend, wondering why she was so out of breath. "Oi, Sayuri-chan, what's wrong?"

Sayuri wiped the sweat off her brow with her sleeve before pointing to the fields behind school. "It's Akane…that new girl…she's gone mad!"

"What new girl?"

"The one with the silly laugh…please…you have to go help her…"

Ranma dropped the box in front of Sayuri before thanking her and making his way to the fields. As he ran towards his destination, he could not push away the feeling that he was about to walk into a terrible situation for both.

* * *

**A/N:** You know, I actually met a guy like Orochi, once. His friends did have to peel him off the floor after I punched his nose and pushed him down the stairs. The kicker? I was 13 and he was 15.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14****  
**

Ranma had fought many rivals over the years; some older, some younger. He had witnessed many battles, traps, ambushes, and any type of fight or flight situations one could think of. He had fought multi-animal human beasts, strong, horny old men, and even a demigod. He had climbed mountains, created tornadoes, destroyed buildings, and even swam his way to China and back.

He had done it all, seen it all, heard it all, felt it all!

Or so he had thought.

He, it seemed, had thought wrong.

All those experiences meant nothing when _she_ was involved. None of those experiences ever prepared him for the sight of his fiancée fighting for her life.

Fighting.

For.

Her.

Life.

The scene unfolding in front of him was one he would not be able to fathom for years to come; one that he had not ever dreamt of, and one that he never wished to witness ever again.

The once even-terrain grounds of the soccer field sported –no pun intended, holes and mountains of dirt. The once greatly manicured grass was now uneven, leaves and roots sprawled all over its former glory. Stunned students surrounded what, from now on, would be called the battle arena of Furinkan High.

The goal nets at the end of the field had been lifted off the ground, broken, bent out of shape and scattered around. He saw familiar faces in the crowd: Yuka, Daisuke, Hiroshi, Nabiki…

Nabiki.

He had never seen Nabiki with a terrified look on her face. Instead of organizing bets for the fight, she was on her knees, eyes wide as she witnessed the fight. How long had it been going on, he wondered. Why had he not been called sooner? Sayuri had obviously run at neck-breaking speed to find him, to bring him here, but apparently, it had not been fast enough.

Kodachi stood, ribbon in hand, in the middle of the field. She wore her gymnastics leotard, but it was marred with red stain spots all over. He did not remember her leotard very well, but he distinctly remembered that it did NOT have red stains. The only reason her clothes would have red stains was if…

"_No!"_

Behind Kodachi a body lay. Whether it was dead or unconscious he did not know. The clothes were torn in several places, and the slump the body was in suggested bone damage. A broken bokken lay a few feet away from its owner, and Ranma could not picture Akane's fate if the body of Kuno was so battered.

In front of Kodachi stood another familiar face. Even though she was still standing, her pose showed she was about to collapse. She held her weapon fiercely in front of her to protect herself from whatever Kodachi had in mind. From this distance he could see small cuts on her arms, but the size of the cuts did not amount to the stains Kodachi wore on her clothes. It took Ranma an extra second to realize that Ukyo was not only protecting herself, but somebody else behind her.

The body was on the ground, not completely collapsed, but obviously injured. Her legs were tucked underneath her sitting position, one leg exposed where her uniform had been shredded to pieces. The exposed leg displayed a river of red flowing from somewhere under the skirt to her knee and then to the ground.

She held her right arm with her left hand as if to hold it into place. Her face and clothes were covered in dirt blood and dirt. He could see her breathing heavily, whether it be of exhaustion or pain he could not tell. Her aura was flaring, and so was Ukyo's but he did not believe they flared out of battle hunger, but out of fear and anger combined.

He watched as Kodachi lifted her ribbon and made it snap in the air, making the once limp ribbon turn stiff. Ranma did not want to wait and see what she planned to do with it, so he followed the direction every pore on his body pulled him to.

He had only one thing in mind, and that was getting Akane out of here and to a safe location. Fuck class, fuck the school, _fuck_ Kodachi.

If Kodachi strongly believed one of the parties involved in the battle was not going to come out of alive, he was damn well going to make sure it was _not_ Akane. All he needed was a distraction and three seconds. Three seconds and he would get Akane away from danger. Hoping against hope that Ukyo still had it in her to help him, he took his only shot.

"UKYO!"

His voice seemed to catch the attention of everyone on the field, not only because of how loud he had yelled, but the tone in which he had. His desperation and anger coated his words, but his stance and face showed he was not in the mood for bullshit.

"Ran-chan!"

"Blind the bitch! Grab Kuno! Everyone else: fuck off!"

Ukyo hesitated for half a second before understanding Ranma's request. She pulled a plastic bag from her belt and threw it at Kodachi, causing flour to cover her face and eyes, and making her cough. Ukyo then jumped clean above Kodachi and as soon as she hit the floor, grabbed Kuno and hauled both of them away from the field.

Ranma had used the distraction to run towards Akane, his aura flaring everywhere. As he ran, his left hand began glowing with the gathering of his chi, as soon as the bystanders saw this, they understood what he meant by fuck off.

The students began screaming and running in different ways. He was almost near Akane so he began setting his plan in action. He stopped inches from Akane and lifted his leg towards her attacker in such a way that Kodachi was sent flying ten feet away from them. He then grabbed Akane with his right arm, jumped in the air, and threw a small-scale version of Moko Takabisha.

The chi attack was small enough that it would not kill Kodachi but it was sure to leave her unconscious for a while. At this point, whether she lived or died did not matter to him. Maybe it would tomorrow, but not today.

After Ranma released his chi attack, he used his now free arm to cradle Akane in his arms and left Furinkan High in a blur of red and blue, heading straight to doctor Tofu's office.

xxxXXXxxx

The doors to the Nekohanten slid open with a loud thud, allowing the young Amazon to rush inside the building. She had one destination in mind, and her feet shuffled nonstop until she reached her great-grandmother's potion cabinet. She rummaged through all the bottles in there, desperately seeking for the one that contained what she needed. She needed to get back to school as soon as possible and undo what she had done.

Mousse appeared behind Shampoo, hearing all the ruckus and becoming curious of who was making the noise. He peeked over Shampoo's shoulder to see what she was staring at.

"Shampoo, what are you doing?"

"Go away, Mousse! Shampoo too too busy!"

"Maybe I can help you? What are you looking for?"

"None your business. Go away!

"You wouldn't be looking for the Ikari potion, wouldn't you?"

Shampoo stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Mousse. His smug face irritated her to no end. However, what irritated her most was the fact that he was holding the bottle she was looking for in his hand.

"Mousse, give bottle back."

"What do you need it for, Shampoo? The dried ghoul told you not to use it."

"Shut up, duck boy! You know nothing!"

Mousse twirled the bottle he held and after adjusting his glasses, he began to read the label of the bottle.

"Ikari potion. Make the person you hate the most, hate everyone else. It's easy for that loathing person to lose all friends, love interest, job and the sort. Just pour three drops of this potion in the drink of the victim, and watch as the person loses control of himself and mixes friends with enemies."

"Give it!"

Shampoo reached over to grab the potion but Mousse pulled it back away from her. "Why do you need it, Shampoo?"

"Stupid Mousse! Shampoo no need potion! Shampoo need antidote."

"Antidote? You mean you already used it on somebody?"

Shampoo's frown told him everything he needed to know. He sighed. Last night, Shampoo had suggested that Akane needed to be put out of the picture for good. When Cologne reminded her that Ranma had threatened to harm them if they as much as stared at the Tendo girl, Shampoo had mentioned that Ranma had threatened them, but not someone else to do it for them.

Cologne knew that while the logic of her statement made sense, the loopholes and consequences were not worth the while. Cologne had warned her against using the Ikari –anger, potion on anyone due to the side effects it caused. Shampoo, behind her great-grandmother's back, had snuck into the potions cabinet this morning and poured not three, but ten drops in a drink she took to school with her.

Thinking it through on her way to Furinkan, she decided that her great-grandmother would not ill-advise her, so she had decided not to go through with her anger potion plan. However, when she saw Akane and Ranma flirting shamelessly during homeroom, she lost it. During lunch, she had approached Kodachi and told her the worst things she could think of about Akane before handing her the drink and leading her to where Akane stood.

The rest of the interaction had been a blur. Kodachi's eyes sparkled with more maniacal glitter than ever, even to the point that she had fought Shampoo as well, for no apparent reason. Shampoo ended up having to distract her enough to distance herself from the poisoned girl. It was not until she saw Kodachi laugh as her hands dislocated Akane's arm that Shampoo realized she had gone too far.

Shampoo had run as if there were no tomorrow towards her home. She was not sure if she would make it back in time to stop Kodachi, but she wanted at least to cover her tracks. If Ranma found out that she had some involvement in the fight that would most certainly hurt Akane, Ranma would…

Shampoo shuddered. She still dreamt about his fiery eyes piercing hers. Besides joining the same school Ranma attended, the plan also included continuing to act around Ranma like before. The least he suspected what the Amazons had behind their backs, the easier it would be to eliminate the Tendo girl.

Now, however, she was pressed for time to find the antidote for the potion she had used on Kodachi. If anyone with knowledge of potions got to the gymnast first, she knew Ranma would point the finger at her and her great-grandmother before anyone else._ "I need to find antidote!"_

Mousse, who had stared at the conflicting emotions crossed her face, shook Shampoo out of her shock by shaking the bottle in her face. He didn't know whom she had used the potion on, but it was obvious by her distress that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Shampoo, I don't know what you did, but I can help you find the antidote. Your great-grandma is out buying more supplies. Let's hurry up and fix whatever you broke, OK?"

Shampoo sighed in defeat and reluctantly accepted Mousse's aid. _"Duck boy useful sometimes."_

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma had been sitting at the waiting room in Dr. Tofu's clinic for only twenty minutes, but to him it felt as if he had been there for days. Ukyo had followed Ranma to Ono's office straight from school. The doctor had placed all three injured teens in separate beds in the same room so he could move from one patient to the other with ease. Ranma had insisted in staying to help, but Tofu could sense Ranma's conflicting aura pouring out of him.

_"I'll call you in a little while, OK?" _Tofu had told the pigtailed boy. Truth was that Tofu knew that Akane was in bad shape, and Ranma was in no condition to see his battered fiancée just yet. The last thing any of them needed was a murder-crazed martial artist threatening to kill the one responsible for his girlfriend's injuries.

"Ranma, you can come in now," Tofu finally said from the entrance of the room.

Ranma did not waste any time before jumping from his seat and heading inside the room. The first person at the entrance was Kuno, who was still unconscious and had a few bandages over himself, but he looked better than when he was brought in. To Kuno's left, Ukyo was sitting on the edge of her bed, dusting off flour that had found its way to her clothes. Ranma figured that if the doctor had left Kuno there, it was because he was going to be alright, so Ranma decided to check up on Ukyo.

Ukyo was visibly uncomfortable when she noticed that Ranma was heading her way. She looked away from him as she continued to dust her clothes.

"Uc-chan, how are you feeling?"

Ukyo felt a tug inside of her at the sound of her nickname. It had been a while since they had interacted, let alone since he had used their childhood pet names. She swallowed the lump in her throat and answered him without facing him.

"I'm OK. Just a few bruises and scratches."

Ranma took a deep breath. He was saddened to see that their ties were still weak. Even if he had made it clear to her that he had no interested in any relationship other than friendship with her, it still hurt him to not have her around his life.

He looked up and saw that the curtain was up between Ukyo's bed and the last bed in the room, and he could make the shadowy figure of Akane and Tofu still tending to her. He wanted so badly to pull the curtain and see if Akane was alright, but he figured that before he devoted her his undivided attention, he first had to thank his friend for stepping up to the situation.

"Uc-chan, I'm sorry you had to get involved in Kodachi's bullshit, but I'm very grateful that you did. I know you didn't hafta, but you still did, and that's important to me. Thank you for saving her."

Ukyo shrugged. "Well, Akane has never done anything awful to me; my quarrel is not with her, anyway. She would have done the same for me, if she had to."

Ranma nodded. When Ukyo did not attempt to continue the conversation and continued refusing to stare at him, Ranma approached her and hugged her with all his might.

"And I would've done the same for you. Thank you, Uc-chan. I owe you one, big time."

Ukyo was too shocked to return the embrace, but she patted his back twice before pulling back. Ranma gave her a smile before looking up to the curtain. He saw Tofu stand up and walk to the head of the bed and turn his head to the curtain in between the two beds.

"Ranma, I need your help here."

Ranma did not have to be told twice. His feet took him to the other side of the curtain in less than a second, only to regret his quick pace. Akane lay on the bed, awake but with half-closed eyelids. Her uniform was in a no-fix shape, and her body was worse than when Shampoo had beaten her a few weeks ago. Ranma approached her slowly, his voice almost a mere whisper.

"Akane…how…are you…oh, Akane…"

Akane blinked a few times and gave Ranma a half smile. He tried his best but he was not able to return it to her; she looked just an inch away from death in his eyes. Akane, seeing his concern come out in waves from him, tilted her head while converting the half smile to a grin.

"It looks worse than what it feels."

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words would come. He hated seeing Akane like this. A thousand thoughts crossed his mind, but the two most prevalent related to how she did not deserve this, and why he did not deserve her.

"Ranma," Dr. Tofu said to catch the boy's attention. "I gave her a mild sedative so I can put her shoulder back in place. Can you help me?"

"W-hat?"

"I need to put her shoulder back in place. Can you hold her?"

Ranma did not trust his voice so he just nodded. Tofu walked around the bed so that he was on her right side, and Ranma walked around the bed to be on her left side. "Help her sit up."

Ranma did as told and held Akane as careful as he could. Her small whimper made him want to hug her and comfort her, but he knew what was coming was more important at the moment. "Ready Akane? You can punch me if it helps."

Akane chuckled. "What if it doesn't help but I still want to punch you?"

Ranma allowed himself to give her a small smile. "That works out, too."

"Alright, Akane. Here it goes. It will be quick, I promise," Ono said.

Akane nodded and closed her eyes. She felt Ranma place his right hand on the small of her back, and held her left hand with his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze before nodding at the doctor. Tofu got into position and kept his promise. A loud crack and a whimper later, Akane's shoulder was back into place. Tofu checked her shoulder for any indication of other symptoms before declaring his effort was a success.

"I'll get your shoulder x-rayed to see if I missed anything, but I think you'll be fine. I'm gonna prepare some remedies and some medicine for your pain. I'll be right back, OK? Ranma, don't let her move."

Ranma nodded again and waited for the doctor to leave before he sat on Akane's bed. He lifted her hands to his face and kissed each one of them before placing them back down on her lap. Akane, now resting her back on the angled bed, began weeping.

"Akane, please, please don't cry. What can I do to help you? Tell me! I'll do anything."

Akane shook her head. "It's not the pain…I just…"

Ranma cupped her face in his hands, carefully wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "She'll pay, Akane. I swear on my life she'll pay!"

"NO!"

"What?"

"That's why I'm crying; I'm scared…for you. Please, Ranma, don't…don't do anything stupid! Just, stay with me. Don't hurt anyone, please."

"But, Akane! She…she could have killed you! If Uc-chan hadn't helped you, you would have…I would have…."

"Please, Ranma! Promise me! She's not worth it! Just stay!"

"Akane…I can't let her get away with this. Next time she'll do much worse."

"No, she won't."

"How can you be certain?"

Akane's eyes shifted to Ukyo's bed. Ukyo knew why Kodachi had acted the way she had, and she had told Akane while in battle. If Ranma found out that Shampoo was behind this little tirade…

"Ranma, I just know. OK? Besides, she'll have bigger problems now, anyway. Maybe she'll get expelled."

"As if! Her dad is the fucking principal!"

"And Nabiki is my fucking sister! I bet you anything, Kodachi will be out of our school very soon."

"Akane…" Ranma said, resigned. "Fine, I won't kill her this time, but next time…I won't stop, Akane. Not even for you."

Akane nodded, knowing that if Kodachi –or Shampoo, tried this again, she would not protect them anymore. All Akane cared about was Ranma's sanity and wellbeing, and she knew it was not worth him ending up locked up jail for killing one of those bitches for her.

"Ranma, I'm sleepy."

"The sedative must be kicking in more. Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, OK?"

Akane nodded. "Just…don't…leave…please…"' Akane said, mumbling her words and closing her eyes. Ranma bent down and gave Akane a quick kiss on her lips before watching her body completely relax. As soon as he was certain that Akane was knocked out, he stood from her bed and walked around the curtain to face Ukyo again.

"Tell me what happened. I want to know everything."

Ukyo nodded as she stood up and led Ranma away from the room to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before telling him what had occurred.

* * *

**A/N:** How many knew Shampoo was behind this edition of the WWE? Do you think Ranma should find out that Shampoo set this up? Let me know!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_"Go to bed, child. Everything will be better tomorrow."_

Akane's eyes fluttered open. She slowly looked around herself, moving her eyes only. She did not know if she had heard the voice or if she had dreamt it, so she dared not to make any sudden movements. She still lay on her bed at Ono's clinic, and had been for the past two days. Thankfully, the doctor had told her she would be released tomorrow, but that she was not going back to school for at least two weeks until everything had healed to his liking.

While she had been lucky enough to not have any broken bones, her right wrist had begun showing signs of spraining after waking up from her nap when she first arrived to the clinic, two days ago. The sedative had helped disguise the pain, but once the sedative had worn off, the pain had begun. Tofu had taken x-rays of several parts of her body, particularly the parts she remembered Kodachi hit, just to make sure nothing else was severely injured.

Her shoulder was feeling much better, but she knew this type of injury was an insult to any martial artist. Now that her shoulder had been out of its socket once, she knew that it could happen again, and more easily, at any time. The worst part of it all was that she had not laid as many hits on Kodachi as she would have, and even though Ranma used a Moko Takabisha on her while he got her out of the battlefield, Akane's physical injuries were much greater than Kodachi's.

On the other hand, the emotional and psychological injuries Kodachi had suffered had been greater. Even though Akane's pride had been hurt by the fact that it took three people to stop Kodachi's rampage, the consequences of Kodachi's actions were going to stay with her for years to come.

For starters, the day after the incident, Ranma and Nabiki had joined forces to demand several things from the principal of Furinkan High and his crazy daughter. All parties involved had agreed that since Kuno had tried to assist Akane and stop his own sister –becoming injured by her in the process, he was not going to be affected by the series of demands that were made,

The first demand entailed the immediate expelling of Kodachi from Furinkan High. When the principal and Kodachi had complained about the demand, Nabiki informed them she had enough witnesses and proof to take the matter to the media and let the general public or perhaps the authorities decide for themselves. Kodachi, not wanting to attract undesired attention and ruin her chances of attending a good college, decided to accept the first demand. Tomorrow, Friday, would be Kodachi's last day at Furinkan High.

The second demand was a restraining order against Kodachi from ever again getting near Ranma, Akane or any member of the Saotome/Tendo family. Again, knowing the authorities could also arrest her for assault and battery, accepted the terms of the second demand. Finally, the third demand was a monetary one. The principal was to pay for Akane's medical expenses until her health was deemed recovered, and a monthly contribution for damages would be made to the Tendo household for a term no less than five years.

Unbeknownst to the Kuno family, the monthly funds would be used to pay off all debts the Tendo household had obtained during the last couple of years, meaning Ranma could stop working, or he could continue working but the funds earned would be for him to decide on its spending.

Ranma had considered quitting his job, but after his conversation with Orochi he had decided to keep it, and started saving for his –_their_, future together, he had told Akane, earning him a blush from the girl.

"_Ranma."_

Akane sighed deeply thinking about the boy. He had been so worried about her, and had truly spent the rest of the first day and night at Tofu's, with her. Ukyo had left by the time she had woken up, and Kuno had been released the next morning. She had never seen Kuno so ashamed, and it had made her feel sorry for the brother of the crazy gymnast girl. Akane had reassured him that it had not been his fault, and had thanked him greatly for assisting her with whatever he could before his own sister had knocked him unconscious.

The next day, Ukyo had stopped by to speak with Akane, and Akane had taken the opportunity to thank her for helping her. Ukyo had tried to shrug off the action but Akane made sure Ukyo understood how much it meant to her. After a few hours of discussing the fight –and exchanging a very interesting piece of information, the girls agreed to leave their unspoken love-interest rivalry aside, and continue their friendship as it had been before. The last three days had shown Ukyo that whatever was starting to grow between Ranma and Akane was real, and she decided not to interfere.

Whether the two lovebirds made it work was up to them, and if did not work, Ukyo would be there to fight for him again. For now, however, she was happy to be their friend. She had no other family in town, so Ranma and Akane –and their families, were the closest thing she had to a family for now. The gratefulness of her actions to the Tendo family had been so great that Kasumi had cooked school lunch for Ukyo all these days, and had sent her a box with food via Ranma.

Ranma continued to attend school to gather notes for Akane, and whatever other items she needed to stay as current as she could with her studies. Even though Tofu expected her to return to school in two weeks, she still had to take it slow since he did not anticipate Akane's wrist to be fully functional for longer than that. The school had arranged for Akane to receive copies of notes from her peers, as well as taking tests orally rather than in written form since she could not use her wrist at all.

On a personal note, Kasumi had been visiting her at Tofu's to help feed her since she was right-handed and she was unable to use her chopsticks. Ranma had come to visit her every day in the afternoon after school, except yesterday when he had to work. Last night he had stayed until she had fallen asleep, but today he could stay longer since he would not work today. Tomorrow, however, he would miss her returning home in the morning, and she would not get a chance to see him until the night set in.

Akane felt the urge to go to the restroom, so she slowly stood up from her bed. A few minutes later, she returned to her bed and sat on the edge of it. She was quickly losing sleep thinking about everything that had happened during this week. Orochi, Shampoo and Kodachi had joined Furinkan. Kodachi had beaten the shit out of her. Ukyo, Ranma and her had called a truce. Ranma and Orochi had their first conversation and it did not end in bloody fists. Ranma had told her he loved her –twice. And she…

She did not know if she loved him. For the past two days, whenever she was bored or was by herself, she had begun thinking about her life when Ranma first arrived. She knew not much time had passed since the pigtailed boy had arrived at the Tendo doorstep, but she was having a difficult time remembering many of the things that happened since. She remembered some major adventures, like the one in Jusendo, or when Taro stopped by to seek Happosai, and even the ice-skating fight with Azusa and Mikado.

However, some other moments of their lives together were such a blur to her, and she was having a difficult time remembering specific details, particularly emotions, that she had felt during certain situations. She felt as if something was blocking her memories and letting her see and feel only specific parts of her past. At first, she had not found it strange, but when she had tried to dig inside her mind to clear up the memories, she had been rewarded with a pounding headache. The only reason she had started digging her mind had been because she was beginning to question her intentions with Ranma.

He was obviously interested in her, and she certainly liked him very much, maybe had started developing feelings for him, but her lack of jealousy on Tuesday at school had left her with a sour taste in her mouth. She had always associated love with jealousy, and she could not remember the last time she had been jealous of him. Heck! She could not even remember with clarity any emotions she had for him until…

Recently?

She could not pinpoint the exact origin of her awareness for any feelings for him, and it worried her to the point of waking her up at night. Why could she not remember the last year of her life as if it had been yesterday? Had the incident at Jusenkyo caused some memory loss in her? She could not determine the extent of the loss since she did not know what she did not remember, so she had been unable to find a pattern for the loss. At this point, after so much thinking, she was not even sure there was a loss at all, but the fact that she was having difficulty recalling her feelings in the past was beginning to worry her.

How could she claim she could fall in love with Ranma if she herself did not remember what she felt for him in the past? The more she thought about it, the more she could not explain to herself why she had not fallen for him before. She could not even remember when he had fallen into the friend zone, or _why_ he had fallen into the friend zone. She had been able to recall some good memories of them, but she could not recall what her reactions had been to his actions.

Her head began to throb again, reminding her that she was stressing too much, over what possibly was nothing other than a faulty memory. She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. She could not wait until she rested on her bed, in her own room.

"_Go to bed, child. Everything will be better tomorrow."_

Akane opened her eyes again at hearing the voice. She lifted the blankets to cover her face and when nothing else happened that night, she fell asleep.

xxxXXXxxx

"Akane-chan, wake up."

"Five more minutes, mom."

Kasumi chuckled. "Akane-chan, it's me, Kasumi. Let's go home."

Akane grumbled as she sat up in bed, realizing the sun was up high in the sky. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost noon. She had not realized she had overslept. She stretched her arms above her head, only to be reminded that her shoulder was still sore.

_"Fuck."_

"Go wash your face, sister. I have everything ready for us to leave."

Akane yawned and nodded at her older sister. She stood up and walked to the restroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before returning to the room and seeing Kasumi had left clean clothes on the bed. Akane changed into the loose pants and t-shirt as carefully as she could with her injuries. When she took off the gown she had been wearing, she saw that the stitches of the cut Kodachi had given her thigh were starting to look less menacing. She was certain the cut was going to leave an awful scar, but Tofu had prepared her some herbal remedies he promised would minimize the scarring.

Her right wrist was now covered by a black wrist brace. Tofu had instructed her not to stress her wrist, so the brace was added as a precaution. She really did not like wearing it, but she wanted to recover as fully was possible so she could return to her martial arts with the least amount of permanent damage.

Once she finished dressing up, she put on the slippers under her bed and walked outside to join Kasumi and Tofu at the waiting room. She patted her pockets to feel if her prized possession was still inside, and was happy when she felt the small item inside. Kasumi was holding her bag of clothes in her hands, and receiving care instructions from Ono.

"If you have any questions about anything, call me, regardless of the time, OK?" The doctor said with a shaky voice, barely containing his emotion. The doctor had learned how to barely control his excitement and nervousness around Kasumi when the situation called for it. Tofu had been shocked to see Kasumi crying the first night Akane had been here, and he had known how much this situation affected the elder Tendo sister. It was then he promised himself to be there for her as much as he could.

"We will. Thank you, Dr. Tofu."

"My pleasure, Kasumi. Akane?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Keep it light, OK?"

"Yes."

"Well, I will see you back in two weeks."

Akane nodded before bowing to the doctor along with her sister. The embarrassed doctor bowed back and opened the door for the sisters to leave. The walk to the Tendo residence was a quiet one with Akane admiring the view of the outside. Ono's clinic was bright, clean and nice, but she was beginning to get cabin fever.

A few blocks later, Akane was entering her home and heading straight to her room after Soun had welcomed her home and cried on her shoulder. Akane had assured him that she was fine, but it took Kasumi's request for space for him to finally let her go.

After the display of concern from their father, Kasumi took Akane's clothes to the laundry before getting the furo ready for her. Akane could not wait to shower in her own place at her own pace. Kasumi did not take long to call her and Akane made her way to the furo. She spent a good half an hour in the tub until her raisin skin told her it was time to get out.

She carefully stood up and got out of the tub. She patted her skin dry, wrapped her body in a towel, and made her way to her room. Once there, she decided this was the best time to run an errand she had been waiting to complete since yesterday. She put on shorts, blouse and picked up a pair of sandals as she made her way downstairs. Kasumi saw Akane sitting on the step near the door and slipping on her sandals.

"Akane, where are you going?"

"I have to pay a visit to a friend."

"A friend? Aren't they all in school?"

Akane looked at her watch and saw that school would be out in less than an hour. Ranma would go straight to work, so she did not expect him to be home for a while. The situation was perfect; he would not get in the way. "Oh, she'll be out soon. I want to be there before she gets home."

"She? Yuka or Sayuri?"

Akane smiled as she stood up. "Neither."

"When will you be back?"

"Before Ranma gets here."

"OK. Be careful, alright?"

"I'll be fine."

Akane waved goodbye to her sister as she merely, confidently and proudly walked in the direction of the Nekohanten.

* * *

**A/N:** He who laughs last…

Anyway, I know this is not the type of Akane you guys are used to reading from me (at least not from my other stories), so I want to clarify something for everyone. This story is not about Akane becoming physically stronger; this story is about Akane becoming mentally and emotionally stronger. The reason why she wished her feelings away was because she could not deal with them because, well, she did not KNOW how to deal with them. The goal of her wish is make her see that she doesn't need to be stronger than Kodachi or Shampoo or Ukyo, in order to be the one for Ranma. She doesn't need to be a damsel in distress either, but with Ranma's maturity, Akane is his best choice because she can guide him through the path that Genma never could.

Also, as with all my stories, there will be inconsistencies with the manga/anime, in order to make the story work. I know some fans dislike deviations from the established mythology of a show/manga/story, but this is fanfiction, and thus, we have plenty of leeway to create whatever our little crazy minds allow us ;)

I have the next chapter already written as well. Who wants to read it?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Shampoo looked around the halls before running down to the nearest exit of the school. Akane had not showed up to school for three days, and Kodachi had been "transferred" back to St. Hebereke today. Shampoo was not sure what this meant, but Ranma had not shown any indication that he knew about her involvement in the incident that left three people injured. Kuno had returned to school yesterday, and Ukyo had returned the day after the incident.

Even though no one had made any comments to her, the shadow of guilt followed her around. Mousse had helped her find the antidote before her grandmother showed up. Shampoo had returned to school only to find out that her little plan had turned out worse than she had feared. When she returned to school that day, Kodachi had been at the nurse's office, unconscious from Ranma's attack.

Shampoo had been surprised to find out that Ranma had actually hit Kodachi, and was even more surprised that he had used Moko Takabisha to render her out cold. Even though he had pushed her away enough for her not to take a direct hit, she had still been confused and had a headache when she woke up. Shampoo had taken advantage of the gymnast's disorientation to make her drink the antidote. After she was certain she had drunk it all, she had performed a scalp wash to block out their conversation when she had used the potion with her.

Three days after the fight, Shampoo was feeling just slightly more confident that it would soon be forgotten, and that she would not be linked to the incident at all. She got on her bike and rode straight home. She was very hungry and could not wait to eat. Once she arrived, she was surprised to see that the CLOSED sign was on the doors. She figured Cologne was waiting for her to come home from school to help with the clients. Shampoo went around the back of the restaurant to park her bike. Once the bike was secured, she came inside the building through the back of the restaurant.

"I'm home, great-grandmother," she said in her native language.

She dropped her backpack in her room and changed into her regular clothes. She then headed to the kitchen to grab a bowl of ramen. She cupped the small bowl in between her hands and walked to the front of the restaurant, looking for her grandmother. She blew air on the soup before she took a sip.

The small sip was just what she needed. Her lips tugged into a smile before she lifted her face…and dropped her cup of soup on the floor.

In front of her sat her great-grandmother on a chair, with Akane Tendo on the other side of the circular table. In the middle of the table, two bottles lay. She did not have to read the labels of the bottles to know what they were and what they contained. Mousse, whom had appeared out of nowhere when he heard the porcelain shatter, had begun cleaning up the mess on the floor.

Shampoo's initial shock was replaced by anger. She did not know what Akane was doing here, but Ranma could not blame her for fighting her if she came to ask for trouble at her house.

"What you do here?"

Akane smiled at Shampoo but did not answer. She instead turned to face Cologne, inviting the elder to relay their earlier conversation to the young Amazon.

"Shampoo, sit down."

Shampoo did not move, and crossed her arms instead, defying her elder's orders. "Shampoo no sit with violent-girl."

Akane shrugged. "It's OK with me. You can sit all you want on your way back to China."

"What?"

Cologne sighed. "Shampoo, can you tell me what happened?"

Shampoo swallowed hard but kept her stance. "Shampoo not know what great-grandmother talking about."

"Shampoo, this is no time for games."

Shampoo stomped on the floor. "Shampoo no have time for games!"

"Then sit DOWN, NOW!"

Shampoo struggled with her emotions, but ended up complying with Cologne's request, grabbing a chair and sitting across from her great-grandmother and Akane.

"Shampoo, I'm gonna ask you one more time. What happened?"

Shampoo looked down, cracking her knuckles. She would have not had any problem confessing to Cologne what she had done, but she could not bring herself to do so in front of Akane. Akane, seeing Shampoo would not say anything that would incriminate her, sighed loudly and decided to start the conversation that was quickly heading nowhere.

"Shampoo, I know what you did to Kodachi."

"Shut up, violent-girl! Shampoo did nothing!"

"Shut up? Why don't _you_ shut up, you idiot? You're lucky I respect your grandmother here, or I would have given you a piece of my mind already."

Shampoo scoffed and crossed her arms again. "Why don't you? You afraid of strong Amazon."

Akane chuckled. "And you're afraid of Ranma…and what he might do if he finds out what you did."

"Shampoo innocent."

"Shampoo, this is serious. You're a stupid child! I told you _not_ to mess with the potions, but you went ahead and did it anyway. Your foolishness has cost us greatly."

The potion Shampoo had used against her great-grandmother's wishes was a powerful one. It not only allowed a person to be manipulated to release their anger towards the object of their hatred, but it also allowed them increased strength and clouded their common sense. Kodachi could have killed Akane, or even her own brother, had Ranma not stopped her in time. The amount of damage she had caused in no more than ten minutes had been so great that one would have thought she had been fighting them for much longer than that.

"But…I…"

"Shut up! We will leave back for China on Sunday. I suggest you start packing your things."

"What? Why? When come back?"

"We _don't_ come back."

"W-what?" Shampoo asked, staring back and forth between Cologne and Akane. "Shampoo no understand."

"Let me make this simple, Shampoo," Akane began. "I had a very lengthy conversation with your grandmother, and we have agreed to settle this matter between us. You have 48 hours to leave Nerima and never come back, or pursue Ranma ever again."

"RIDICULOUS! I not give up on airen! You stupid to think I leave!"

"And you're stupid to think you can stay. I know what you did, but Ranma doesn't know, so you have two options, Shampoo. You either shove your pride up your ass and go back to China and never come back, or you can stay here and I will not only tell Ranma what you did to Kodachi, but I will get you arrested."

Shampoo cackled. "You think Shampoo stupid? You no proof of Shampoo doing what you say."

"Don't I?"

"I think you bluff. Amazon law says Ranma airen, and you deal with it."

"Amazon law is for the AMAZON tribe! This is Japan!"

"Amazon law good here too."

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH!"

"Well, in that case, Japan law good, too. And what you did to me and to her and the others is a crime, Shampoo. And if you don't suck it up and leave, I will take action against you!"

Shampoo, still not believing Akane had anything against her, stood up and leaned over the table to face Akane, trying to intimidate her. "You have nothing!"

Akane smiled and took out a piece of paper that she had shown Cologne before Shampoo had arrived. She handed it to Shampoo who snatched it out of her hand and read.

"Shampoo no understand what this means."

"They're blood test results, Shampoo," her great-grandmother said. "That is a copy of blood tests done on Kodachi, showing the presence of the antidote of the potion you gave her."

"So? That no prove nothing!"

"You are so dense! How many Chinese potions do you think are lying around Nerima? Or close to Kodachi? I have a witness that can testify to the conversation you and she had before she started attacking us, and these results link the potion to you!"

Akane had been so grateful to have a doctor as a close friend. One call to the school from Ono was all it took for the paramedics that had been called to provide the blood sample and test.

Shampoo was beginning to feel the pressure now. Her great-grandmother was not defending her, and she seemed she had already made the decision to leave. She could not leave now! She had just joined Ranma's school, and Akane was going to be out from school for weeks. This had been the perfect opportunity to get close to him again without the interruption of Kodachi or Akane. When did her plan backfire?

"You say Ranma not know this?"

"No, and if you promise to leave forever, I promise he will never find out."

"What good that do for Shampoo?"

"Do you really not care what he would do if he finds out you're the reason I ended up at the hospital?"

"Ranma love Shampoo! Ranma would not…"

"Really? Last I heard he almost chocked you to death!"

"Yes, I will go to police and report! Just like you!"

"And I will report that you came to my house and beat me up. Who do you think is gonna win? Either way, Shampoo, I'm tired of your bullshit. Get it through your bimbo head: Ranma is mine, and he will spend his life with _me_."

"Ranma never do that," Shampoo began as she stood up straight and walked closer to Akane. "And he never find out about crazy-girl if you dead!"

Akane jumped back as soon as she saw Shampoo run towards her. Akane grabbed the closest chair and threw it at Shampoo as hard as she could with her only one good hand. Shampoo easily dodged it and threw a knife at Akane. Akane moved out of the way and the knife hit the wall behind her. When she looked up, she saw Shampoo aiming a kick at her. Akane braced herself for the hit by covering her front with her healthy arm, ready to block her at the last minute, and waiting to have her other shoulder dislocated, but the hit never came.

A loud thud in front of her, followed by a breeze made by the fallen body, made her look down to see Shampoo on the floor, face down. Cologne stood behind her, her staff extended and pointing at Shampoo. Cologne had used pressure points to knock her out.

"Consider that the closest thing to an apology you will get from me."

Akane stood up and walked around Shampoo, giving Cologne a slight nod. Akane gave Shampoo one last look before looking up and staring at Cologne.

"Thank you. I have to say, I'm going to miss you, obaa-san. You helped Ranma a lot in his times of need, and for that I am grateful," Akane said as she bowed to the elder.

"Ranma is a good man, and if you don't marry him soon, I will personally come back to take him to our tribe."

"But, you just agreed…"

"I agreed that Shampoo would never come back, but I've done no wrong. I have no quarrel with the authorities here. In fact, Shampoo could return if she wanted to after the statute of limitations has ended for her actions."

"If she comes back, I will tell Ranma, and he will hurt her."

"Murder has no statute of limitations, Tendo-san."

"No, but amazon law has no murder charges…when done on the tribe's lands."

Cologne cackled. "You must really love him to go to such great lengths to save him from us."

"Who wouldn't love him?"

"Very well. I guess this is where we part ways for now, Tendo-san. It has been a pleasure," Cologne said, bowing to Akane. Akane repeated the gesture before waving at Mousse.

"Goodbye, Mousse."

"Goodbye, Akane-chan."

With a final bow, Akane made her way out of the Nekohanten, forever.

xxxXXXxxx

When Ranma finished cleaning the last of the floors, he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm. Emi watched him as he washed the cleaning tools before storing them away for the night. He had finished rather quickly today, and Emi was curious as to why he had been rushing his work lately.

Ranma washed his face and arms under the sink in the back of the kitchen before patting himself dry with paper towels. He threw away the paper towels and spun around, heading to the door. Emi ran up to him and stopped him before he could leave the kitchen.

"Ranma-kun, where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Uh? Home?"

"But it's Friday night! Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Sorry, Emi. I can't, my girlfriend's waiting for me."

"Oh," Emi said, a hint of anger flashing over her eyes. "How about Monday?"

"Uh, I can't."

"Your girlfriend's gonna be waiting for you, again? Does she do anything productive all day other than wait for you?"

Ranma swallowed the anger that was quickly building up at Emi's sarcastic comments. "Actually, she just got out of the hospital, so I'd like to take care of her while I can."

"Ah! Well, send her my regards."

"Sure."

Without anything else to say to keep him here, Emi stepped aside and allowed Ranma to leave the kitchen and Tanaka's, as fast as he could. Then he ran nonstop and as he passed the park, he heard a voice calling out to him. He stopped his run and looked around, searching for the origin of the voice. He remained still for a few seconds and when all he could hear were the sounds of the crickets, he dismissed his crazy mind and continued at a fast walk.

_"It's you…or her…"_

Ranma stopped again. "Who's there?"

_"Choice…make a choice…it's you…or her…"_

"What choice? Come out so I can see you, coward!"

_"Make a choice…"_

Ranma rubbed his face with his hands. He did not pick up the aura of anyone else around him, so he decided the week was finally taking its toll on him. He sighed, decided to pick up his speed, and ran all the way home, his mind focusing only on seeing Akane, and holding her again.

* * *

**A/N:** No, I don't hate Shampoo, but sometimes she is the perfect character to pull off situations like these. Where do you think the story is heading? I am writing like crazy to get this finished soon. I have been neglecting writing "Fix You," and I need to get back to it before I am assigned a new project at work. Thanks for all your shows of support!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17****  
**

Ranma finally arrived at the Tendo residence only to find Akane sitting on one of the steps at the entrance. He stopped a few feet away from her smiling face, admiring her happy features. After everything that had happened to her, he was glad to have the opportunity to witness a much more relaxed Akane. His skin itched with the need to run to and hold her. The need to pick her up, take her to the roof, and spend time alone with her almost overrode his senses. Even though he had visited her the past three days at the clinic, their time together did not satisfy his need to be with her.

She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to join her at the porch. He took a small step towards her but stopped when he realized he was covered in sweat, and that he probably smelled like chlorine and other cleaning products. He gave her a shy look as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I oughta shower first."

Akane raised an eyebrow at him. She had not forgotten the episode he had made her go through in front of her peers, and he was not getting off that easy. Determined to pay him back for his favor during class three days ago, she crossed her legs just enough to show more thigh skin than needed. She then rested her weight on her arms as she placed them behind her, causing her chest to rise more than usual. She tilted her head to the side and spoke to him in a low voice.

"Oh? And why is that?"

Ranma noticed how her features were enhanced by the combination of shadows and moonlight surrounding them. The overexposure of her assets was not lost to him, making him sweat even more. He swallowed hard and felt the heat rising up in his cheeks. He cleared his throat before answering her.

"I just got off work; not the best of scents."

Akane tilted her head to the other side and slowly swung her leg up and down, the movement making her breasts bounce with the same rhythm. Ranma tried his best to look elsewhere. "What are you afraid of, Ranma? Do you smell like your _work_ _wife's_ perfume?"

Ranma's head snapped to his front. Ranma had mentioned Emi a couple of times, but only to confess to her how uncomfortable she made him feel. He hoped she did not think there was something between him and the daughter of his boss. He extended his arms in front of him and waved his hands left and right, begging for her to not misunderstand what he had said.

"No, no, no, Akane! It's not like that! I just, well…I'm sweaty and…"

Akane slowly stood up from her place at the porch and walked up to him. Ranma gulped as he rooted himself to where he stood, unable to move. Akane grabbed his hands and pulled down his arms to his sides in order to allow her to move up closer to him. She stood a few inches from his body, making sure her breasts were slightly pressed against his chest. She slowly stood on her toes so that her chest slid upwards on his, and she held the position by placing her fingertips on both of his shoulders.

Ranma's voice left him when her mouth reached his ear. She moaned in his ear, making Ranma clench his eyes shut and shakily exhale. He could smell the scent of her shampoo and her current position reminded him of the time she practically undressed him to cure his wounds when he returned from his kidnapping, also known as _Shampoo's version of a date_.

Akane slowly exhaled on his earlobe, and was pleased to feel him shiver under her touch. "I guess you _are_ sweaty…but, I can think of a couple things we can do that can _really_ make you sweat. Would you like to know what they are, _babe_?"

"Uh…ah…uh…er…" was all he could say.

Akane giggled in his ear before pulling back from him and smiling at him like nothing had ever happened. His incoherent words were all she wanted for now. The big punishment could wait. Her face suddenly changed from a woman trying to seduce her man, to a normal girl hanging out with her friend. "Go shower. I'll meet you at Uc-chan's. I'm in the mood for some okonomiyaki."

Ranma blinked several times, his body still feeling the sensations her proximity had caused him. It was not until his ears replayed her last words regarding food that he was able to snap back to reality. "Are you sure?"

Akane nodded. "Now go!"

Ranma smiled back at her before beginning to walk around her to head inside. Akane took advantage of his distraction to pull him down by his shirt and planted a slightly long kiss on his lips. Once she pulled her lips away from his, she whispered one last thing to him. "Don't keep me waiting, OK?"

Ranma nodded dumbly at her, and watched the exaggerated sway of her hips as she left the Tendo home. Ranma sighed in relief, feeling his confidence in their relationship renewed. Even though the night was cool for a spring day, he knew he would need a cold shower before he made his way to Uc-chan's. Good thing his female side did not turn him on.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane walked inside the okonomiyaki restaurant and headed straight to the bar. She sat on one of the bar stools and waited for Ukyo to dispatch her latest clients before calling her attention.

"Ukyo! Are you almost done today?"

"Hey, Akane! Yeah, staying for dinner?"

"Yup. Ranma's on his way, too."

"The usual, then?"

"Please?"

"Alright!"

Ukyo stood in front of Akane and began cooking their orders. Ukyo felt more comfortable with Akane now that they had called a truce, and she was glad to be able to see Ranma again, even if her efforts to be his girlfriend had been placed on an indefinite hold.

"So, did it work?"

Akane laughed aloud. "Like a charm!"

"I can't believe you pulled it off! I'd told myself that if you didn't stop by here by now, I'd have to tell Ranma where you'd gone. You've shoulda waited until I was off school so I could back you up or something!"

"Nah," Akane began. "I didn't mention that you were my witness for the conversation. The least the Amazons know about how I got my info, the more difficult it will be for them to get rid of the evidence. Besides, I also got this."

Akane dug her hand in her pocket and took out a small voice recorder. "Nabiki lent it to me. Her confession is recorded here."

"Make sure you don't lose it."

"Nabiki has made several copies already."

"Who would have thought having a manipulative, cold-hearted, money-crazy bit –_sister_, would every pay off, uh?"

Akane laughed again. "Did you actually want to say bitch of a sister, instead?"

"Errr…so…how's the wrist?"

Akane stared at her brace as she waved her hand from left to right. "It's alright, but I can't write to save my life."

"Not that you'll need to. So, when are the Amazons leaving?"

"Cologne said Sunday. I'm worried about what they might do as a last resort to stay, so I'm gonna take Ranma away for the weekend."

Ukyo's eyebrows rose at Akane's comment. A small pang of jealousy filled her heart, but she brushed it aside knowing that she would have to get used to situations like this if she were to hang around her and Ranma.

"Away, uh? How are you gonna pull that off?"

"With our parents, you mean?" she chuckled. "All we gotta do is saying we're gonna go away for training, and they will usher us the hell out of the home. Hopefully, we won't come back to wedding bells again, but at least it'll give us a break from all the madness 'round here."

"I'll say. I might do the same and attend an okonomiyaki conference in Okinawa. I need some fresh air, too."

"Well, in that case, do you mind making us some uncooked okonomiyaki we can freeze up and take with us to the mountains? I may have kicked the metaphorical ass of an Amazon just now, but that don't mean I can do miracles and learn how to cook."

"What? You're aren't gonna cook for your fiancée on this trip?"

"We only need one unhealthy person at a time at the house."

It was Ukyo's turn to laugh. "Well, Miss Tendo, you sure have done a 180º on us, haven't ya?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, instead of hitting anyone who annoyed you, you, like, ignore their pitiful lives now. You've been wearing more revealing clothes," she said as she pointed at Akane's current outfit. "You went from constantly denying your love for Ranma to…well…not pushing him away…"

Akane frowned at Ukyo's last comment. _"When have I ever denied any interest in Ranma before? I don't remember feeling anything for him before other than friendship? When did I give anyone the impression that I loved him before?"_

"I'm not sure I…"

"Yo! Uc-chan!"

Both girls turned to face the door to see a now refreshed Ranma enter the establishment. He saw the restaurant was practically empty, wondering why Ukyo was still up and about before sitting next to Akane. He grabbed her left hand with his and gave it a light squeeze to acknowledge her presence. He then stared between Ukyo's face and the food on the grill with a hungry face. "That wouldn't happen to be a…"

"Yup," Ukyo said to him. "Made just for you!"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sweet!" Ranma said excitedly as he began devouring his food. Akane chuckled as she rolled her eyes as his ever-growing appetite before she began eating her own. "So, Ranma, what are you up to this weekend?" Ukyo asked as she eyed Akane, who in turn placed a finger on her lips, begging Ukyo to be quiet. She had not mentioned anything to Ranma about a trip, as she was waiting for the perfect time to do so.

"Not much," Ranma said in between bites. "I told my boss I ain't working this weekend. I'd like to rest, take a break."

"Oh, I see…maybe you'll get what you wish for, Ran-chan."

Ranma looked up to stare at his friend. "Wadya mean?"

Ukyo saw Akane's pleading face before looking down at her watch. "Oh, would you look at the time! I have an order to fill tonight. I'll be right back, OK?"

"Sure," Ranma said, curious about her sudden change in topic, but not too curious as to stop eating. Once Ukyo left the room, Akane felt her stomach begin to clench. She had just finished flirting with the guy, so why was it difficult to invite him to a trip with her? It was not like she expected anything to happen between then while away, or that he would decline her invitation, but something in the pit of her gut made her feel nervous about the situation.

"Hey, Ranma?"

"Mmhh?"

"I was wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"I mean…if you don't want to that's fine…"

"Want what?"

"I'd understand…I mean…I…I wouldn't cook while we are …"

"Uh, Akane?"

"Yeah?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I…would you like…uhm, taking a trip this weekend?"

Ranma shrugged. "Sure, where are our parents taking us to?"

"Nowhere."

"What kinda trip is that?"

"I meant just you and me."

Ranma began coughing and hitting his chest with his closed fist to force down the chunk of food he had not finished chewing. Once he calmed down, he gulped down the remainder of his food before twirling his bar stool to face Akane. Akane twirled her bar stool towards him but did not face him. She laid her hands on her lap and waited for his response.

"You wanna…go away with me?"

"I'd figured we needed the break, you know? It's OK if you don't want to."

Ranma chuckled. "Are you crazy? Why wouldn't I want to?"

"My cooking?"

"Uh…we can…uhm…"

Akane laughed at his poor attempt to avoid an argument. "Don't worry, Ranma. I won't make you eat my food. In fact, Ukyo is making us our okonomiyaki to-go right now."

Ranma's face beamed. "Really? I get to go away with you _and_ eat good food?"

Akane frowned. "Hey, don't overdo it or I _will_ cook."

Ranma chuckled. "Sorry. But, yeah…where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere away from here."

Ranma looked down at her wrist and the bandage on her leg. "Will you be alright? I mean, it won't hurt you, right?"

"I don't think so. I probably won't be able to train with you, but I can…uhm, clean?"

Ranma laughed. "Don't be silly, Akane. Your company would be enough for me."

"Ranma, I…"

"Your order is ready, Akane."

Both teenagers looked up to see Ukyo handing them a cooler. Ranma leaned over and grabbed it from her. "We'll bring it back on Monday."

"No worries."

Ranma was taking out his wallet to pay for the food but Akane beat him to it. "Akane, let me."

Akane shook her head. "My treat, this time. You can treat next time, OK?"

Orochi's words came back to haunt him. He had wanted to show Akane that he could eventually support her somehow, but Akane had not given him the chance. Slightly annoyed at the situation, he allowed her to pay but made sure she understood it was not going to be common thing.

After talking with Ukyo about trivial school gossip, the couple waved goodbye to their friend before heading out and heading home. Once they arrived, Ranma placed the cooler in the kitchen, where he found Kasumi washing dishes.

"Kasumi-chan, do you need help?"

"No, Ranma-kun. Thank you. What's that for?" Kasumi asked, pointing at the cooler.

"Uh, it's food –okonomiyaki."

"Oh, hungry, aren't we?"

Ranma chuckled. "Hey, listen. Can I ask a favor from you?"

"What is it?"

"I…Akane and I want to go away for the weekend, to train and take a break from all the shit around here…do you think you can cover for us?"

Kasumi stared at Ranma intently. She then peeked out the door and down both sides of the hall, searching for prying ears or eyes. When she found none, she returned to the kitchen and whispered to Ranma.

"Ranma-kun, is there something you want to tell me?"

"What do you mean? Do you want me to ask for permission to take Akane away? I promise I'll be careful and not let her slow down her recovery."

Kasumi shook her head. "No, that's not it. I know you will watch out for her."

"So?"

"I've seen you two together. I'm not sure what you're up to, and while our fathers don't think anything has changed, I do. I just want to make sure you won't hurt her this time."

Ranma opened his mouth to retort that he had never done such a thing, but the words could not make it out of his mouth. He knew they were lies, and he could not continue to lie to himself or anyone else.

"Things have changed, Kasumi-chan. You know Akane has always been my only…well, you know. I don't want to screw this up again; I won't screw it up. I feel like this is it, but I also feel that she's not there yet. Not where I am, at least."

"And where would that be?"

Ranma scratched his head, wondering if it was wise to confess his feelings to someone other than Akane. Then again, this was not just anyone; it was Akane's elder sister, and he trusted her with his life.

"In…love," he finally said.

Kasumi gave Ranma a huge smile before hugging him. Ranma hugged her back, knowing Kasumi was happy for him; sincerely happy for him.

"Oh, Ranma-kun! You've grown so much! I'm so proud of you! I'll make sure to tell your mother when she comes for you next Friday."

"W-what?"

"Oh, my! Has Uncle Genma not told you? Your home has been repaired. Auntie Nodoka is coming for you and your father next Friday. You're moving back home."

Ranma felt like a bucket of cold water had hit him. After finally having a normal relationship with Akane, and after pushing away his fiancées, he was leaving. He was going to move out, to the other side of the city, and perhaps have to switch schools while at it.

"Auntie said you can finish the school year at Furinkan, but that you would probably transfer to a closer school for your senior year. I can't believe your father hasn't told you. It's been at least a week since Auntie called."

Ranma looked down at the floor, feeling as defeated as he looked. Of course his father would not tell him something as important as this. Heck, he had kept more important secrets from him in the past. He could not believe his luck. This was his last week at the Tendo's home, and he was going to spend it away from Akane while he was at school and then at work. He would no longer come home to her, or sneak into her room. He would no longer exchange banter with her during breakfast, or walk with her to school. Now that he felt closer to her than ever, they were being separated farther away than they had been since they had met.

"We're leaving tonight, Kasumi-chan. We'll be back Sunday night."

"Tonight? But…"

"Please! I just want to…please," he begged again.

"Uncle and father are out to the public baths. If you want to leave, do it now."

Ranma's frown turned into a smile. He gave Kasumi a quick hug before rushing upstairs to Akane's room. He opened the door without knocking, earning him a pillow thrown to his face.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" a half nude Akane asked. Ranma did not even bother. He ran to her closet and took out her bags and began throwing random items of clothing to her bed. Akane grabbed the top of her pajamas and put them on.

"Ranma, what gives? Why are you throwing my clothes all over the place?"

"We gotta hurry, Akane. We're leaving in five minutes."

"WHAT? FIVE MINUTES? I just got ready for bed!"

"NO! We can't wait until tomorrow. I'll explain on the way."

"But, Ranma. I gotta tell my dad!"

"No time! Kasumi will tell them. I just told her."

"I don't understand what the rush is. And stop throwing my clothes!"

Ranma stopped and turned around to see her room was covered in her clothing. He smiled apologetically before walking up to her and holding her by her arms.

"Akane, do you trust me?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts, do you trust me?"

"I do."

"Then meet me downstairs in five, please."

"Ranma, is something wrong?"

"No, I just want us out of here, now."

"Alright," Akane finally said, not entirely convinced. Ranma nodded and ran to his room. Five minutes later, Akane showed up at the entrance of the Tendo residence, a small gym bag in her hand. She could not carry her usual camping backpack due to her shoulder, so she packed the essentials as tightly as she could inside her bag. Ranma had his camping backpack on, as well as the cooler in his hands. They both said goodbye to Kasumi and made their way to the train station

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere no one will think to find us for the next three days."

With a hopeful smile on his face, Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and led her inside the train.

* * *

**A/N:** No, I can't give them a break…but I will for the next few chapters. Warning: Cavity-creating fluff ahead!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

A quick nap and three hours later, Akane and Ranma found themselves at the base of a mountain. Ranma was grateful that he knew this place like the back of his hand as it was almost midnight and the only light around them to aid in their path was the one coming from their flashlights.

Ranma felt a light weight press against his body, forcing him to look down. He saw Akane's head resting against his shoulder, eyes closed. Their fingers were still laced together, and Ranma could feel she was using their hand-holding to support her weight. They had been walking for almost an hour now, and she was falling asleep while standing.

"Akane, we're almost there."

Akane did not open her eyes and just nodded. Seeing this, Ranma looked around himself and found a big boulder a few feet away from them. He guided Akane to it and helped her sit on the ground and rest her back against the boulder. He placed her gym bag on her right side and rested her arm on it to keep her wrist straight and weight off it.

"I'll be right back for you, OK?"

Akane did not even nod this time. Ranma grabbed his backpack and walked at a fast pace around the mountain. After about thirty feet away from where he had left Akane, he came to his destination.

The wonder of nature was as he had left it, many years ago. The small clearing was filled with plush green grass. The clearing was limited by thick trees on one end, and a very small lake that could easily pass as a giant pond. The small waterfall that fed the lake provided the never-ending supply of water they would need. If his memory served him well, a five-minute walk to their east would take them to a hot spring, and another five-minute walk to their west would take them to a river where they could fish.

Ranma looked at the ground and noticed the remainders of his old fire pit were still there. The last time he had been here had been about four years ago. He had never thought he would ever come back this place, let alone with his fiancée.

"Akane!"

Remembering the exhausted girl was depending on him in the middle of this forest, he left his backpack on the ground and ran back to get her and her gym bag. He grabbed the bag and hung it across his chest before lifting his girl and walking back to the clearing. He placed her on the ground before dropping the bag next to his. He spent the next hour setting up camp, which included setting up the only tent he had brought for them to share, and making sure everything was ready for them for tomorrow.

Feeling satisfied with his work, he entered the tent as the night grew chilly. He took off his shoes and shirt, leaving him with only his undershirt and pants before allowing himself to rest for the remainder of the night next to his fiancée.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane's eyes fluttered open, taking in the unfamiliar sight before her. She yawned as she scratched her neck, and slowly turned her body so she would face up. Noticing that her room's ceiling was not the view she was staring at, she blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the scene. Her eyes traveled from side to side until her brain registered that she was inside a tent. She looked down at herself and found an unusually wide sleeping bag surrounding her. Upon further inspection, she realized it was actually two sleeping bags zipped together.

The noise outside the tent caught her attention, and as her senses awaken, she was able to acknowledge a few things around her. The first thing she heard was the sound of water, a river or even a waterfall was close by. The next thing she sensed was the aroma of food –okonomiyaki, being cooked just outside her tent.

The scenes of last night returned to her, tugging a smile on her face. Last night she had followed Ranma, blindly, to wherever he took her. She did not remember when she had fallen asleep, and had no clue how late or early it was right now, but she pulled her body to a sitting position to face the day. She only had less than 48 hours to be alone with him, and she wanted to take advantage of every single minute.

She moved around some stuff inside the tent, and took out a small bag with her toiletries. She ran a finger through her hair and adjusted whatever unruly spots she could. She crawled to the entrance of the tent and unzipped it open. Careful not to place weight on her wrist, she pushed herself up and out of the tent to see Ranma fanning the fire with a piece of flattened card box.

"Good morning, Ranma."

Ranma stopped his task and stood up, jogging lightly to reach her. He surrounded her waist with his arms, and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "About time, Sleeping Beauty! I thought I'd had to sacrifice myself by kissing you to wake you up."

Akane giggled on his chest. "Sacrifice? Sure, that's exactly what it would've been."

"You oughta know. My affections don't come cheap, and are always on demand."

"By who, may I ask?"

"Oh, you know, every woman on this planet…maybe other planets as well."

Akane chuckled, pushing herself away from him. This is the Ranma she remembered from before. The egocentric boy who thought every woman had to bow at his feet for five minutes of his time. He would never admit it, but he sometimes acted like he was more in love with himself than with…

_ "Me, I guess?"_

"Well, sir, I ain't one of those women. In fact, if you have other women waiting for your affections, don't mind me. Go right ahead."

Ranma pulled her back to him, hugging her tighter this time around. "Oi, Akane! I'm joking. We just got here; let's not fight, uh?"

"I was joking, too."

"Yeah, I know," Ranma said said, feeling his relief leave him with his deep sigh. "Bitch," Ranma added as a joke, letting her know she had actually scared him for a second.

"Jerk," she replied, willing to play the part.

"Tomboy."

"Freak."

"Uncute."

"Two-timer."

"Unsexy."

"That's not what you thought last night."

"Errr…"

Akane stayed in his arms a while longer, thinking about how quick everything was developing between them. If she had not know any better, she would have sworn they had been dating for years, and that the butterflies she felt in her stomach by being in his arms were due to love.

_"I can't possibly love him already. It's too soon, right?"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong smell.

"Ranma?"

"Uhm?"

"I think our food is burning."

"What?"

She pulled away and pointed at the fire pit. "Our food…"

"Oh, shit!"

Ranma ran to the fire and quickly peeled off the okonomiyaki to prevent further damage. Other than a few burnt spots, the food was still edible.

"Jeez! I'm not cooking and somehow we still manage to almost ruin the food."

"Shut up," he joked as he began setting up plates to eat.

"I'm gonna wash off."

"K."

A couple of minutes later, Akane and Ranma sat on the ground, slowly eating their food. Akane took a moment to admire the view. She had no idea where they were, but she honestly did not care. The location was beautiful, and it seemed to have everything they would need to survive the weekend on their own.

"Ranma, this place is awesome."

"I know. And no one will find us here…unless they're lost."

Akane and Ranma stared at each other at the implication of that statement. They both shuddered at the thought and decided to move past the uncomfortable situation.

"How did you find it?"

"I just…stumbled upon it…randomly."

Akane raised her eyebrow, showing him she did not believe a word he had just said. Ranma tried to distract her by pointing out the existence of the river and hot spring a few minutes away, but she was not buying it. Finally, Ranma slumped his shoulders and nodded, deciding to let her in on a little bit of his past.

"This is my runaway place."

"Runaway?"

"Yeah, whenever I got tired of Pop's bullshit, I'd run away and hide here. My Pop never knew the difference and thought I was out training somewhere, but I was here, thinking how much longer I had to travel with him until we returned home. Then, I would realize I didn't know where home was, so I would return to Pop, not telling him I was coming back after trying to runaway."

The lost gaze in his eyes made her heart swell. She had never run away from home, and she had never thought about it, regardless of how upset her parents or sisters made her feel. Then again, technically, Ranma had never run away from home either, simply because he did not have a place to call home.

_ "At least until he moved in with us."_

"I never thought I'd be back here," he said, pulling her out of her trance.

"Oh? Why not? This place is beautiful."

"Well, yeah, but, I didn't think I had to run away anymore. I'm too old to be doing that."

"Funny, because the way we left home last night, seemed to me like we were both running away."

"I guess it did, uh?"

Akane nodded. "Can you now tell me why you were in such a hurry to leave?"

Ranma finished his food and looked down at the ground. He had not told her anything last night as she had fallen asleep on the way here. He had himself forgotten about it until now that she had brought it up. He could not understand why it made him so mad to leave. He would still see her, spend time with her, but he had gotten so used to having her near all the time, that he knew it was going to affect him more than he had ever thought.

"Ranma, what's wrong?"

Ranma lifted his face to stare at her. He watched her as she finished her food and kneeled in front him. She stroked his cheek with her palm, eliciting a deep sigh from him. He closed his eyes and leaned towards her soft touch, trying to enjoy the moment. After another deep sigh, he finally spoke without opening his eyes.

"I wanted to leave before our dads came back from the baths so they wouldn't follow us. When I was asking Kasumi for help, she told me my mom called last week. We…Pop and I, we're moving back home with her, this coming Friday."

Ranma felt her hand leave his face. He opened his eyes to see her stand up and begin cleaning up the dirty utensils. "Well, that's good news, right? You finally get to go home with your mom."

Ranma watched her as she grabbed the dirty dishes in her hands and walked a few feet away from him, heading towards the lake. She dipped the dishes in the water, rinsing off the food before it stuck to them. Ranma stood up and followed her, standing behind her as she finished her quick task.

"Akane…I…"

She left him standing there as she returned to camp and put away the dishes. Ranma followed her with his eyes, knowing the news had the same impact on her than it did on him. She walked inside the tent and came out with a new set of clothes.

"You said there's a hot spring here, right? Which way?"

"I'll guide you."

"NO!"

Ranma was taken aback by her reaction.

"I mean, that won't be necessary. Just point the way."

Reluctantly, Ranma pointed her to the correct direction and she walked towards it as fast as she could. When she was sure Ranma could not see her behind the thick trees, she began running, and hoping to reach the destination before her tears reached her cheeks.

Once the hot spring was in sight, she stopped in front of it. She placed her clean clothes on top of a boulder before stripping down her current clothes and dipping her body inside the spring. The steam that came out of the water stuck to her skin, successfully masquerading the tears that now ran freely down her cheeks.

She closed her eyes and the tears soon turned into small whimpers, and then the whimpers turned into sobs. Her entirely body shook with each sob, making the next sob slightly more painful than the previous one.

_ "This is so stupid! Why am I crying? It's not like he's moving to another country. He's just moving across the city."_

But her thoughts did not calm her spirits. _"Besides, we're just dating…I'm not even…it's not like…we're just…"_

Her tears increased at the thought she could not complete in her head. Yes, they had gone out on one date. Yes, they were engaged to each other by order of their parents. Yes, they attended the same school, and frequented the same places. Yes, he had made it clear he loved her. But…it did not mean anything if she did not feel the same for him, right?

_ "But, if I didn't feel the same, why does it hurt to know he won't live with me anymore?"_

Akane rubbed her face in desperation. She dipped her head under the water and stayed there. _"If this is not love, then what is? If I told him, he wouldn't believe me; it's just too soon. Psh, I wouldn't believe it myself. Then again, he did say it to me…but who knows how long he's been feeling that way. Ugh!"_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something pulling her up from the water. The surprise attack made her open her mouth and lose the little oxygen she had left, bringing water inside her. Her face and upper body were lifted up from the water, making her gasp for air and cough.

"Akane! What were you doing? Are you alright? Did you fall asleep?"

Akane rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, forcing her pupils to focus on the image in front of her. She shook her head to move her hair of her face, only to see Ranma standing outside the spring, looking down at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You almost made me drown!"

"What? I? But…oh…Akane…you may want to…uhm…"

"What?"

Akane followed Ranma's gaze on her and she soon realized she was standing in the spring, her upper half exposed to the elements.

"EEP!" She cried, dipping her body inside the body of water and covering her breasts with her hands.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you perv?"

"Nothing! I just…you'd taken long, and I came here and called your name…and you didn't say anything, and then I saw you down there…and I thought…"

"That's enough outta you! Go away! I'll be back to camp as soon as your PERVERTED EYES ARE GONE FROM HERE!"

"Sorry, Akane…I…"

"NOW!" she said as she extended her arm to point to the direction of the camp.

"Ok, I'm going, I'm going. Jeez! I was just worried."

Akane waited until Ranma was out of sight before shaking her head. Her small frown turned into a smile, and her smile turned into a laugh. The look on his face had been priceless, and even though she had been slightly upset at his presumptuousness, she was also enjoying the concern.

After a couple of moments, she grabbed the towel she had brought and wrapped it around herself. She stared at her clothes and was about to put them on until she remembered Ranma still owed her for making her blush at school in front of her friends. Grabbing her dirty and clean clothes, she walked back to the campsite with only a towel wrapped around her body.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma finished pouring the hot water on himself after taking a quick bath in the lake next to their campsite. He grabbed the towel and patted himself dry before lazily wrapping the towel around his waist as he searched his bag for a clean pair of boxers. He was so entranced with his task that he did not notice Akane walking up behind him. The backpack was covering Ranma's body, blocking Akane's view of the towel around him starting to slide.

Akane tiptoed to him and when she was close enough, she opened her mouth and screamed at him.

"RANMA!"

"AAAH!"

Ranma stood up and faced the direction where the scream had come from. With the surprise of her scream, he let go of his towel, exposing his completely naked body to her. Akane's jaw dropped to the ground at the sight. Ranma looked down and cursed as he tried to lift the towel back to cover himself, but in the struggle he ended up stepping on the towel as he pulled it, making him trip on his own feet and ended up falling backwards into the cold lake.

The change was instantaneous. Ranma-chan gasped for air as her head came out of the water. She glared at Akane as she bent over herself, gasping for air at how much she was laughing.

"You shoulda seen your face! Hahahahaha! I just wanted to make you uncomfortable but…oh, Kami! This is so much better."

Ranma-chan's eyes thinned, showing her she was not amused at all. "I had just changed back, you know! Besides, you've seen me naked before. Ain't that how we met?"

Akane only laughed harder. "Face it! A girl seeing a boy naked is funnier than a boy seeing a girl naked. Especially when, well…it really _is_ cold around here, uh?"

Ranma-chan growled at her comment, earning Akane another fit of uncontrollable laughter. "You're on fire, Akane."

"_Yeah_, I am! I got you big time! Think about that next time you want to play Mr. Flirty at school!"

"Akane, you're on fire."

"What? You already said that!"

"Akane!"

"WHAT?"

"Your towel! It caught fire!"

Akane looked down and saw that her towel had in fact caught fire on the fire pit. She screamed a very girly scream before she desperately ran towards the lake and jumped in, leaving the towel floating somewhere. Akane's head came out of the water, gasping for air in very much the same fashion Ranma-chan had done just a few moments ago. This time, however, it was Ranma-chan who was laughing uncontrollably at the scene.

"Fuck! This water's cold!"

"I coulda…told…you…that…" Ranma-chan said in between laughs. Akane attempted to glare at her but she found herself unable to do so. The laughter soon spread to her as well, and the two girls laughed and laughed until the cold water became too much for them.

**A/N:** So, I leave it up to votes. Who wants to see more stuff from the camping? Who wants me to skip to when they return? Review and let me know!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Akane held onto Ranma's upper body as much as she possibly could without obstructing his movements. The wind blew on her face and hair, tickling her as it caressed her ears. Countless times he had carried her on his back like this, but this time it felt different. Every time he had carried her like this, they had been either running away from something or someone, or chasing something or someone. Today, however, Ranma was jumping up a mountain to see the stars from a closer view, for the heck of it.

Akane closed her eyes, resting her cheek against his back, thinking back to events of earlier today. After the towel-on-fire drama, Ranma-chan had jumped out of the lake to grab her dry towel and tossed it to Akane. As Akane stepped out of the lake and covered her body with the towel, Ranma-chan had walked inside the tent to find another towel. Akane drug the half-burnt towel from the lake and let it dry by hanging from a nearby tree.

Ranma-chan had walked out of the tent and allowed Akane to go inside to change while she turned back to male. By the time Akane had come outside the tent, Ranma was already dressed and waiting for her.

After making certain the fire would not spread on their campsite, they had taken a long hike, admiring the vegetation and stopping whenever one of them found some interesting animal or plant that caught their attention. After a while, Ranma had taken Akane to the river to teach her how to fish. It took Akane a couple of hours, but she was able to catch a handful of small fish, which they had promptly skinned, cleaned, cooked and eaten.

After their fishing trip, Ranma had helped Akane with the exercises Ono had recommended to help with her shoulder and wrist. They had sat on the edge of the lake back at the campsite, Ranma kneeling behind her and guiding her arm through the movements. Once they finished, they had stayed on the same patch of grass, staring at the sky, looking for shapes in the clouds.

When they got tired of watching passing clouds, Ranma had suggested climbing up the mountain to see the stars come out as the night set. Akane had been reluctant to do so due to her injuries, but Ranma had quickly resolved her concerns by suggesting carrying her on his back. After a small discussion, Akane found herself being carried by her fiancée until they finally arrived at the top.

Ranma was glad to see that even though it was becoming dark, the stars were yet to appear. He carefully set Akane down from his back before guiding her to the edge of the mountain. They both lay flat on their backs, facing up. Ranma rested his head on his arms, while Akane kept her right arm straight on the ground, and her left arm bent on her stomach.

Neither of them spoke as they waited for the first star of the night to appear. Once it did, Ranma broke the silence.

"Have you made your wish?"

"What wish?"

"My dad once told me that if you make a wish to the first star of the night, it will come true. I was just a kid, so I believed him. My wishes never came true."

"What did you wish for?"

"I wished to go back home. I wished to stay in one place. I wished to make friends. Things like that, things a kid would wish for growing up."

"Well, it might have taken long, but now you'll stay in one place, in your own home, with your mom and dad, and you have friends."

"I guess, but I would've liked to have them growing up."

"You're still young, Ranma. We're still young. You can still make something out of those wishes coming true."

"It's not the same, Akane."

"How do you figure?"

"It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Just…different. Maybe I have to make all new wishes."

"I don't see why. Everything you'd always wanted is yours."

"Everything I always wanted is not what I want now."

"What do you want now?"

Ranma eyed her from the corner of his eye. He saw her stare attentively at the sky above them, and not at him. Thinking that their relationship could only move forward now, he ventured to show the side he hardly ever showed anyone around him.

"Now, I want to finish school so I can focus on the dojo."

"If you wait a year or so, that will be your only job."

"And I want my dad to leave me alone."

"That's going to be a little bit more difficult."

Ranma chuckled. "But, what I want the most, the only thing that would help to accept that my dad will annoy me until the day I die…"

"Let me guess, curing your curse?"

Ranma's eyes widened as saucers. He had not even thought about his curse until today when he used the cold waters of the lake to bathe. In fact, he had not thought about it in a while, mostly because he had not transformed as often, and he slowly realized that it was because the weirdoes had been kept at bay.

All this time he had thought his life was miserable because of his curse, but in reality, it had been miserable because of the craziness that followed him around. Being here, in the wilderness, next to Akane, away from all of the people that lived to screw him up, he realized that if Akane did not mind his curse, he could learn to live with it. Maybe one day he would be able to afford plane tickets to China and cure himself, but for now, having her near him was enough for him.

"Do you mind the curse?" he asked.

"Only when you look prettier than me."

Ranma laughed aloud. "It's not my fault my breasts are rounder than yours."

"Hey!"

"Kidding! Mostly…"

"Ranma!  
"Oh, come on, Akane! You know I still like your breasts."

"W-what?"

"I mean, not that I stare…or anything, but they're just there…calling out to me."

"WHAT?"

"I mean, they are not as obvious as your ass, but that's a whole different story."

"My _ass_?"

"Uh, what was the question again?"

"You're such a perv."

"For you only."

Akane could not help the smile that came to her face. His apparently innate ability to flatter and insult her at the same time, never ceased to surprise her.

"Curing your curse. Is that what would make you accept your dad?"

"Actually, no."

"No?"

"No."

"So…not being afraid of cats anymore?"

Ranma flinched. He had also forgotten about that little detail of his.

"Maybe, but no."

"I give up, then."

Ranma shifted his body so that he was on his right side. He rested his head on his right hand. He then used his left hand to lace his fingers with Akane's. He looked down at her face and thought, for the briefest second, how close he had come to not been here with her. He looked down at their laced fingers as he drew circles on hers with his fingertips. The night had finally fallen and only the moonlight provided a small amount of light.

"The one thing I want the most…the one thing that would make it all better…is you."

Ranma lifted his eyes to face hers. Her face was unreadable, stoic almost. He feared that he had gone too far, and almost took back his words but Akane spoke first.

"You already have me, Ranma. I'm here, aren't I?"

Ranma slightly nodded as he lifted her hand with his, continuing to play with her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "Physically, yes, you are. There's no denying that. But, I want you to _want_ to be here, with me. I want you to see me how I see you. I want you to…_want_ me, like I want you."

Akane's voice was caught in her throat. She had known Ranma could sweep her off her feet with a few words, or a gesture, if he set his mind into it. At the end of the day, he was still a boy, an attractive one at that, and she was still a teenage girl, learning about love. However, seeing him like this, hearing how the tone of his voice pleaded her to return his feelings, there was no denying he had meant every word.

Ranma, seeing she was too shocked for words, slowly bent down towards her face. He slowly caressed her left cheek with his nose and cheek, closing his eyes and concentrating on her warm, soft skin under his. Akane felt her pulse quicken and her breaths become shallow at his intimate contact. He then repeated the slow motion on the other side of her face before he began mimicking the gesture on both sides of her neck.

Akane closed her eyes and focused on feeling every inch of his skin on hers. Her body was reacting on its own, making her arch back her neck to give him better access. Ranma took the gesture as an invitation and replaced the flesh caresses with actual kisses. Akane felt her skin burn with every kiss he placed on her neck and face, but it was a pleasant burn.

He let go of her hand and placed his hand on her hip, forcing his body to partially laying on her, but still kept a short distance between them. He was not sure how far she would allow him to go, and he did not want to ruin his chances. When he finished kissing every inch of her neck and face, he took his mouth to her ear and whispered.

"Yet, above all of that, I want to make you my wife."

Akane gasped, whether it was a reaction to his words or the breath on her ear, she did not know. The emotion that welled up inside of her was indescribable. She felt as if someone was literally holding her heart in his hands, and was being gentle and aggressive with it at the same time. She felt goose bumps breaking out all over her body. The amalgam of emotions that she felt was heightened when he lifted his head off her side to bring it down to her face and kissed her. Akane's innocent side categorized this kiss as thank-kami-I'm-already-on-the-ground-or-I-would-have-fallen-on-my-ass kiss, but her other side, the instinctive side of her that was scrapping her way out to the surface, categorized it as oh-kami-I-like-where-this-man-is-going-with-this kiss.

Ranma slowly ended the kiss, staring down at her, as if asking her if she wanted him to continue. Akane smiled to him, lifting her left hand and grabbing the base of his head, bringing his face down to her.

"Don't stop now," was all she could say before Ranma moved his body completely above hers and kissed her again. Feeling bolder, he rested his weight on his left forearm so that his right hand could roam freely over her body. It began by holding her by her waist before crawling up her shirt and lightly scratching her skin. His hand then headed south and held on tight to her hips, slightly grabbing her rear. His hand then headed north and brushed her breast up and down, as if stopping over it only long enough to attribute it to the path of his hand and not his desire to touch it.

Meanwhile, Akane traced his spine up and down with her fingernails of her right hand –despite the pain it brought, and kept his face on hers by continuing to grab on his hair. Growing tired of his limiting position, he grabbed her outer thighs with his hands and wrapped her legs around his waist before pulling her to him so that she sat on his lap.

Akane responded by settling deeper into his lap, stroking him just enough to incite a moan from him. When he moaned, she began her attack on his tongue with hers, and he happily responded to her challenge. Akane wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body as close to him as she could. Ranma, in turn, allowed his hands to travel from her thighs to her rear, making sure to lock his grip there.

Just a week ago, Akane would have never imagined being like this with him, in a remote location, where they could do whatever they wanted, and go as far as they wanted without anyone interrupting them. Frankly, just little over a week ago, Ranma had just been that _guy_ who lived under her roof. Today, he was the guy who was setting her body on fire.

The more they explored each other, the more the gates in her heart weakened. Something inside her was dying to come out, as if some repressed memory or experience was banging at her door, begging to reveal itself. She was having difficulty deciding which one required her immediate attention: the feeling of his hands all over her, or the curiosity of naming the pressure on her chest.

Her mind drifted from trying to choose a side, and it took her to random moments when Ranma had stopped time for her, making the impossible a reality. A collage of images of his multifaceted eyes appeared in her mind's eye. She saw his happy faces, his sad faces, his concerned faces, and his faces of love. She saw his teary face as he held her in Jusenkyo, and heard his thoughts; his thoughts that called out to her, begging her to stay with him, begging her to come back so he could tell her that he loved her.

Love.

That ever-elusive feeling she was afraid she could not possess towards him. How foolish had she been? All that had been required was a historic walkthrough of his subtle –and not so subtle, demonstrations of affection towards her. How had she been so blind? Every word spoken, every touch shared, and every exchange of undeclared feelings through their eyes. It had all lead to this; to her realization that her greatest fear of not returning his feeling, had actually turned into her greatest fear of not spending every second of her life with him.

_"It's him; it's always been him."_

As her thoughts became more intense, her hands became more ferocious on him. She reached his shirt and began unbuttoning it until she was able to slide his shirt off him. Frustrated at the fact that he still wore an undershirt, she stopped briefly to pull the undershirt off him before covering his neck with her kisses.

Ranma growled in bliss as she bent down and returned the favor, traveling from his neck to his face. He felt his strength leave him as his back fell to the ground, bringing Akane down with him. However, in their eager efforts to become more comfortable, neither of them remembered that Akane's arm was under him, sending the full weight of both their bodies on her already injured wrist.

Akane screamed in pain as soon as her arm became pressed between his back and the ground. Ranma opened his eyes, confused at first at her sudden cry before he realized what had occurred. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled them both up, Akane remaining on his lap although the position was not as enticing as it had been just seconds ago.

"God, Akane! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!"

Akane, not able to stop the tears stream down her face, nodded to calm his nerves, but the truth was that it hurt like hell. Ranma immediately read through this farce by the look on her face, and he looked down and cradled her injured wrist between his hands. She had tried to pull it away, but Ranma assured her he was going to be careful, so she allowed him to examine her.

"It's probably going to swell again. I've got some balm back at the camp."

Akane nodded, not trusting her voice not to break under the pain. Ranma looked up at her, regret obvious on his face. He placed his left arm on the small of her back, and his right hand on her cheek. He rested his forehead on her chin and rocked them back and forth, emitting hushing sounds to calm her down.

"I'm so very sorry, Akane. I completely forgot about it. I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear."

Still not trusting her voice, she nodded again, making his guilt grow exponentially. He knew she was trying to hold back sobs of pain, and it was his fault. He picked her up and walked closer to the edge of the mountain. He could see the light coming from their campsite just below them. He looked back and saw his shirts were still on the ground, so he bent down for Akane to grab them with her free hands. Once she did, he asked her to use her flashlight to illuminate their way down.

Slowly and more carefully than ever, Ranma jumped from one side of the mountain to another until he landed on the firm ground of their camp. He walked Akane inside their tent, laying her on the sleeping bag as he rummaged inside his bag, searching for the soothing balm.

Once he found it, he carefully removed the brace from her wrist, only to detest himself even more when he saw the swelling had already begun. He poured a little bit of the balm in between his fingers, and blew warm air on it to help with the pain. "I'm sorry, Akane. This will hurt a little."

Akane closed her eyes, unable to control the shivers of seeing pain coming towards you. Even though Ranma was as careful as he could be, he still had to press firmly to make sure the balm penetrated the skin and helped her with the pain. After he decided it was enough, he helped her placed the brace back into place.

He walked outside to wash off the balm from his hands before cleaning up around camp and making sure the fire was running out. Once he was satisfied with his work, he walked inside the tent again, taking off his shoes and changing into a pair of pajama pants. Akane looked away to provide him a small sense of modesty, even though just minutes ago she had been ready to rip off his pants from him.

Ranma searched her bag and found her own set of pajamas and left it at her feet. He went outside to allow her the time to change, and after she stated he could come back in, he walked in to a completely unexpected sight. Her pajamas were tucked back into her bag, but she was no longer wearing her normal clothes.

Her feet were barefoot, and the only pieces of clothes she wore were her undergarments and his red Chinese shirt. Ranma stared at her, his eyes telling her he wanted to know why the change of heart and she just shrugged.

"This is more comfortable. Are you upset?"

"No, not at all. You look…good."

His mouth said good, but his mind said gorgeous. After everything they had done today, he knew she would not be surprised at such comments coming from him, but he decided that he had showered her with enough compliments today; he did not want to overdo it.

Ranma turned around and zipped closed the tent before they both crawled inside the sleeping bag. Careful not to injure herself again, she shifted her body to her left, allowing her shoulder to be unobstructed, and her wrist to rest freely in front of her. Ranma, on the other hand, imitated her position so that he could press her back against his chest, and wrapped one of his arms around her waist.

He kissed the patch of skin under her ear and whispered goodnight to her. Akane reciprocated his good night wishes before they both closed their eyes and fell asleep.

**A/N:** How about that? Want more?


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_"Go to bed, child. Everything will be better tomorrow."_

She had heard the voice again last night, right before she finally succumbed to sleep. The same voice that she had been hearing more and more, not truly understanding its meaning. She had heard it loud and clear, as if it someone inside the tent had uttered it. However, Ranma had made no mention of it; he had not even flinched, as if he had not heard it at all.

Perhaps, he did not. Maybe she was going crazy, or maybe she was just having a very intense dream. A dream that had followed her for days now, and other than seeing herself in her room, holding onto her pillow, she had no lead or clue as to where the image came from. She was yet to determine if her visions were dreams, hallucinations or forgotten memories. She replayed the scene in her head, especially the line that made her question the purpose of the recurring nightmare.

"_I just want to be happy! I just want to stop loving him, needing him. I just want it to stop!"_

Did she really want to stop loving him? Needing him? Was he not making her happy?

"_He is, so much."_

She could not just wrap her head around the meaning of the voice. Why would she want to stop? Why would she want to be without him? Last night she realized she did not want to be without him; she could not bring herself to do so. The last week had felt as long as months, maybe even years; years of seeing him around, craving his touch, yearning for his presence near her.

"_I trust him. I trust he wants to make me happy. He would never hurt me."_

The sound of scuffling outside the tent made her open her eyes, but she did not move. She realized she could no longer feel Ranma behind her, and she immediately missed his warmth. By the low brightness outside the tent, she knew it was still early in the morning, making her wonder how long she had slept. She pondered about where he could possibly be at such early time in the morning, and what the plan for today was going to be. However, she then remembered they had to go back home with enough time for Ranma to be ready for school tomorrow.

_"And, I haven't done my homework, either,"_ she thought, depressingly.

Realizing that the sooner she got up, the more time they could spend alone, she began slowly rising from her side of the sleeping bag. She was especially careful with her shoulder and wrist, remembering how her injuries had gotten in the way of a very intense make-out session between them.

_"If I hadn't gotten injured…we would have…"_

The thought of where his hands had been and how hungry his kisses had felt made her blush. She had never been so forward with anyone in her life, and for all technical purposes, Ranma was the first boyfriend she ever had. Her nose wrinkled as she remembered that he had yet to ask her to be his girlfriend, but after what had happened last night, it seemed obvious his intentions went past having one good night.

_"He wants to marry me,"_ she thought, remembering his greater wish. While their engagement was pretty much already set in stone before they were born, the idea of actually going through with it had not really settled in her mind until last night. A new wave of feelings for him had surfaced within her as she had showered him with her own starving needs, making her realize that he meant more to her than she was allowing herself to believe.

"Akane, are you up?" Ranma asked from the entrance of the tent. Akane smiled at him and nodded, pulling her blanket closer to her body as the cold morning wind made its way inside the tent.

Ranma noticed the chill making its way inside the tent, so he turned around and grabbed what he had been doing so early in the morning. He walked inside the tent, zipping it close behind him. He turned around and faced Akane. "Have you ever had breakfast in bed?"

Akane shook her head lightly, watching as he crawled next to her with a tray of okonomiyaki in his hands. He set it between them and handed her a napkin and a cup of tea. He then tore a small piece of the okonomiyaki and presented it to her. Akane accepted the offering by opening her mouth and allowing him to feed it to her, both chuckling at the corniness of the scene.

"Did you sleep well? How's your wrist?"

Akane nodded, still chewing on her piece of okonomiyaki. She extended her arm towards him, showing him that the swelling had gone down. He examined the injury as he chewed on his own chunk of food, his frown clouding his usually cheery features.

"I'm gonna use that balm on you again before we leave."

Akane swallowed her food before speaking to him. "How did you sleep?"

"Alright, I guess. I had a weird nightmare."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nah, it's nothing. So, how do you feel about lying here until it's time to go?"

Akane smiled. "You mean how do I feel about lying inside a tent with my…guy who is not my boyfriend but I made out with last night anyway, for hours and hours until we have to go home?"

"Yup, if you want to be technical about it."

"Sounds good to me."

After finishing their breakfast, washing off their faces and brushing their teeth at the lake (and Ranma having to heat water to return to his male self), they returned back to the tent, not even bothering to add more clothes than what they had worn last night to sleep. Ranma could not help but feeling an egotistical sense of possessiveness at seeing Akane wearing his shirt. He did not know what was more of a turn on for him: the fact that she was wearing nothing but her underwear under his shirt, or the fact that she was so comfortable around him wearing such a skimpy outfit.

They lay on their backs inside the sleeping bags, using their body heat to keep warm. He had not thought the mountains would be so cold at this time of year, but they were currently at a higher altitude than Nerima, and the lake and location probably held the cold air in place. He felt Akane press closer to him, tracing the muscles on his chest with her index finger. It reminded him of last night, and how intimate they had been with each other. If he had not been so careless, he would have definitely…

"Ranma?"

"Uhm?"

"What's gonna happen now when we go back?"

"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, with us."

Ranma thought about her concern for a moment, realizing that perhaps she was afraid living in different locations was going to make them grow apart. He knew there was no way in hell he would let that happen to them. He had spent too many weeks trying to bring them together, and he was not about to let anything break them apart. His job now was to make sure she felt confident about their relationship, one way or the other. He was not going anywhere; they were going to be together for the rest of their lives and that was that. Thinking how to best set her doubts at ease, he realized the first thing he should do was to make it clear to her where she stood with him.

"Akane, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Akane stopped the movement of her finger on his chest and looked up at him. She knew why he was asking it, and although she felt childish to need such a reassurance, she felt excited at the prospect of one day telling the story to their kids of how their dad asked their mom to be his girl.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing."

"Thanks for the confidence boost," he teased. Looking down at her, he ran his fingers through her hair, tucking some of her strands behind her ear. The more he stared at her, the more he thought about how he would have to stop himself from showing his affection for her once they returned home, or their parents would find out what had flourished between them. The thought of having to pretend he did not love her made him angry. Why could they not be like normal couples and share a moment whenever they felt like it?

_"Because I'm a fucking coward, that's why."_

Nevertheless, he was working on changing that. He had told Shampoo to stay away from them. He had gotten Kodachi transferred back to her animal shelter. He even shared a relationship that resembled a normal connection with Ukyo again. He had told Kasumi he loved Akane. He had told Akane he loved her. He had _shown_ her he did, and yet, it was not enough.

It was then he made up his mind.

"Akane, what if…we didn't have to hide, anymore?"

"What?"

"What if," he began, struggling to find his words. "What if I found a way to be able to tell everyone we're together, without the fear of being knocked unconscious and be married over night before we're ready?"

Akane's eyes beamed, excited at the prospect of proclaiming to the world he belonged to her. "Do you mean that? Do you think we can pull it off?"

"Well, yeah! Kasumi knows…Ukyo knows…we know."

Akane laughed. "We don't count, Ranma."

"You get my point. Wouldn't you want to be able to go out without having to sneak out? Think about it! How much better would you feel to be able to grab my ass in front of Orochi?"

Akane narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you mean how much better it would be for you to mark your territory in front of Orochi?"

"Well, if you want me to, I ain't gonna say no!"

Akane sighed, but the smile on her face betrayed her attempt at faking annoyance. "It would be nice, if we could. I'd be in my right to go to Tanaka's and bitchslap Emi."

Ranma raised both eyebrows, waiting for her to realize what she had just said. When the blush reached her cheeks, he burst out laughing at her.

"I didn't know Miss Tendo was the jealous type," he said aloud, but internally knowing all along that she _was_ the jealous type. He was actually somewhat glad to see that side of her surface again. "I wouldn't worry about her, Akane. Whatever she feels, it is totally one-sided. Why would you even feel threatened by her?"

Akane smirked at him, rolling her eyes as she did. "You're absolutely right, Ranma! I'm being ridiculous. I mean, it's not like you feel threatened that Ryouga thinks he and I are dating, right?"

Ranma's smile disappeared and turned into a pout. "That's not the same, Akane. And you know it."

Akane lifted her body enough so she could reach his face, and poked his cheek with her index finger a few times. "I wouldn't worry about him, Ranma. Whatever he feels, it is totally one-sided."

Ranma's jealousy and anger rose within him. Truth was that Ryouga, had Ranma not stepped it up, could have had a chance with Akane. Ryouga could have been the one making out with her on the mountain last night. The idea of Ryouga running his hands all over Akane made his blood boil. "I hate that pig!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ranma wanted to take them back. He felt his body shiver in anticipation of her reaction, the cold wind suddenly not enough to keep his temperature down.

"Pig?" Akane pondered aloud. "He's not that much of a perv, Ranma! Give the guy some credit. He's actually pretty sweet."

"Whatever!" Rama said, glad that she had misunderstood his comment. "Just promise me that if you ever, _ever_ get tired of me and dump me, you ain't gonna dump me for him."

"I promise."

"Thank you."

"I'll dump you for Kuno, then."  
"The fuck?!"

Akane laughed again, this time harder than she had in days. The look of incredulity on his face was priceless, especially since she knew that he would lose it if one day she decided to dump Ranma for the bag of crazy that was Kuno. Not that she would, mind you. Unless, of course, if she was under a spell, or had crossed over to an alternate universe.

"Calm down, Ranma. I'm just joking."

"Well I ain't laughing, so it ain't funny."

"Oh? Let me make it up to you, then," she said as her eyelids closed halfway, leaning forwards to kiss him. He instantly forgot what she was making up for, closing the distance between them to press his lips on hers. A repeat of their encounter last night flashed before his eyes. This time, however, fewer items of clothing were in the way. The innocent kiss quickly turned into a full session of caresses and kisses, moaning and deep breaths. He undid the first two buttons of his shirt on her, venturing to kiss the top of her breasts while he positioned himself between her.

When her reaction was the one he had hoped from her, he undid another button, allowing him to move his body back up to her and kiss her again as his hand rubbed circles on her breast. Her gasp on his lips allowed him to intensify the kiss, and his urge to take the next step grew stronger.

"_Make a choice…"_

Ranma heard the voice again; the same voice that had woken him up in the morning, the same voice that Akane did not seem to hear. He had learned to hate tricks, and whoever was playing this trick on him, had the worst of timings. He decided to ignore it for now, and returned his interest to the task at hand.

_"It's you…or her…"_

Ranma heard it again, testing his patience. Who dared talk to him in the middle of a steamy session with his now official girlfriend? He thought that maybe if he responded, the voice would go again. A minute later, he heard the voice asking the same question, and this time he responded back to it with his thoughts_. "It's her, it's always been her."_

Happy that the voice receded, he continued his assault on her.

Akane, on the other hand, wanted to tell him she loved him. Whether he believed it or not, whether he thought it was too soon or not, it was true. Something last night had been released, hitting her like a brick wall, making her see she had loved him all along, she just did not know. She tried to push him away slightly to tell him, but his grip just became tighter. He was afraid she was going to make him stop, and she just wanted to give him one more reason to take her right then and there.

The need for oxygen beat them both, and they separated their lips for an instant to gather enough air for a second round. Ranma admired her features as if it was the first time he had seen them. Her eyes were wide and sparkly. Her lips were full and swollen from the friction. Her hair was wavy and spread around her head, making her even more irresistible to him.

Akane took deep breaths as she stared back at him. She could see it in his eyes; the last bit of his reservations slipping away. He just needed a final push; a final piece of knowledge that would surely send him over the edge.

"Ranma, I lo…"

"Hello! Is there anyone here?" A voice coming outside the tent interrupted her, calling across the clearing. Both teenagers froze on the spot, afraid that the minimal movement from them would draw uninvited attention. After a few moments, they heard the person outside walk into their campsite, grabbing their items and inspecting them before putting them back in their place, as if using them to determine how long they had been there.

"What do we do, Ranma?" Akane whispered. Ranma considered their options. They could just stay where they were and hope the intruder would leave on his own, or he could walk outside, assist the pour soul with whatever he needed, and then return to their tent. Seeing their unwanted guest had no intention of leaving when he saw his shadow sit on the grass, Ranma opted for the second choice.

"I'll just see what he wants, and be right back, OK?"

Akane nodded, trusting Ranma to take care of whatever was happening outside. As soon as Ranma began standing up, the man outside noticed the movement of the tent, making him stand up on his spot. "Anyone there? I just need some help with some directions. I'm a little bit lost."

Ranma and Akane both froze on the spot, their eyes wide as they stared at each other. They had not recognized the voice at first since they had been busy with more pressing matters, but now the identity of their guest was perfectly clear with the articulating of that statement.

_"I'm a little bit lost,"_ the words repeated in his head. _"Why, oh why, did this happen to me, now?"_

Sensing Akane's distress at the situation, he made a gesture with his open palms to calm down. If he played his cards right, he would easily usher away the lost tourist, and they could proceed to run away from the place as if the devil himself was chasing them.

_"So much for not hiding anymore."_

Ranma slowly unzipped the tent, causing the disoriented boy to walk closer to the tent.

"I'm sorry to bother you; if you could please point me to the direction of Nerima, I'll be out of your hair."

His steps stopped as soon as he recognized the infamous pigtail cascading on the boy's back. Ranma zipped close the tent quickly to keep Akane safe inside before turning around and giving his childhood friend/rival a smug look.

"Didn't think I'd see you here, Ryouga."

"Ranma…prepare to DIE!"

**A/N:** How evil of me? Not much, right? Right? Anyone? No one? OK. How about you show me some love with some reviews, uh? EVIL INCARNATE ME IS! Thanks for reading/reviewing/favoriting, and PMing :D You guys rock!

**Extra note:** Sorry about the bad language, guys. Apparently, Ranma cusses a lot in the anime/manga in the Japanese version, but the practice is not usually applied in the English version (or the Spanish one, which is the one I first watched). I already have a few chapters written, so I will leave the language I had already written there, ESPECIALLY for chapter 21 because, let's face it, if you were faced with the situation of the next chapter…well, let's say you'd be cussing too! After that, I'll try to tone it down


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Oh, come on Ryouga! Ain't it a little bit too early for this?"

Ryouga snickered, not wanting to fall into his game. "Maybe. What are _you_ doing here, anyway? Did Akane finally kick you out?"

"As if! I'm taking a break with Pop. We're getting out of here as soon as he comes back, so why don't you do what you do best and get lost?"

"Why you! Do you really think I'll let you go back to my girlfriend's house?"

"Your girlfriend? I didn't know you were dating Nabiki."

"Nabiki Tendo? You wish! I'm talking about my dear Akane."

"That's funny. Akane hasn't mentioned anything about dating you."

"You lie! She said so herself! You're just jealous because I was man enough to tell her how I felt, and you haven't."

_"If you only knew,"_ Ranma thought. "Look, you want to go ask her yourself, head that way and you'll find your way to Nerima."

Ryouga stared at the direction Ranma pointed at before staring back at him. "Now, why should I trust you? You probably want to send me away from her! I'm just gonna stay right here and follow you back home."

_"As if he needed my help to get lost, the bastard."_

Ranma frowned at his failed attempt to get rid of the eternal lost boy. Ryouga sat down next to his backpack, as he waited for Genma Saotome to return. Ranma, knowing he was going to stick around, had to attempt his second plan.

"Are you sure you want to wait for us, Ryouga? You know, Akane had an accident and she just got out of the hospital. Why don't you go right ahead and go see how she's doing."

Ryouga considered the option given by Ranma, but his instincts kicked in, telling him there was more than what Ranma was telling him. "I don't think Akane had any accident. You're just trying to get me out of there, and I want to know why."

"How about because I can't stand you? And why would I lie about something like that?"

"Why would you be here taking a break if Akane is injured? You'd be the first one by her side."

Ryouga had him there. It seemed his childhood friend knew him a little bit too well. Ranma rubbed his face in desperation before he began putting away the supplies. Ryouga observed him as he moved around the campsite, not knowing that Ranma was just gaining time as he thought of other ways to get rid of Ryouga.

"Hey, Ranma?"

"What now? You're still here?"

"If you are training up here with your dad, how come you're still wearing pajamas at noon?"

Ranma looked down at his outfit, forgetting that neither he nor Akane had bothered to dress up after they woke up. He cursed his stupidity but tried to look nonchalant for Ryouga.

"We're done training and I let Pops go do whatever business he had to finish while I took another nap. I didn't know it was a crime to walk around in your underwear."

Ranma continued to clean up the campsite, opening the tent to take out his backpack and put away his belongings. Akane remained as still as possible inside the tent, hoping Ryouga would eventually give up and go away.

"Akane is injured, you know. I took her back home from the clinic just a couple of days ago. She dislocated her shoulder and sprained her wrist."

"Oh, Ranma," Ryouga spat. "How low will you sink in order for me to get lost on my way to seeing my girl?"

"She's _not_ your girl!"

"Yes, she is! And she's waiting for me!"

"No, she's not. All she's waiting for is the ability to write so she can respond to your stupid postcard and tell you to fuck off!"

"How dare you, Ranma? Akane would never do that to anyone. There is no mean bone in her body for such cruel actions."

"You really don't know her. Did you know she has been seeing a guy at school?" Ranma lied, trying to get Ryouga mad enough to run back to Nerima by himself in worry.

"She wouldn't."

"She did. His name is Orochi or some other."

"Orochi? The guy she met at the trip? She didn't even like him!"

Ranma finished zipping up the tent before he walked up to Ryouga.

"How would you know something like that?"

"Uhm," Ryouga hesitated, knowing he had been caught. However, seeing the curious look on Ranma's face, and knowing he would get him riled up if he told him how he found out about Orochi, was too much of an incentive to stop now.

"Akane told me. She was weighting out dating you or him. I guess she chose him, uh? Though, I don't think my beloved Akane would betray me like that. We had the most wonderful personal conversation before I left."

"When did Akane tell you? You were gone by the time,,,"

"What's wrong, Ranma? Surprised that after you left her bedroom, I waltzed right in?"

"You're lying!"

"Oh, grow up! You know Akane will tell me everything, even if she doesn't know it's me."

"I…I don't know what you mean," Ranma said in a poor attempt to deviate the conversation to something else. If Akane heard Ryouga confess he was P-chan, and Akane figured out that Ranma knew about it all along, he did not want to think what Akane would do to the both of them.

"What's wrong with you? You know about my curse! It's _your_ fault! Are you gonna claim innocence again? Take responsibility for your actions, Ranma Saotome!"

"Ryouga, I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about."

Ryouga became upset at Ranma's denial. It was one thing to try to keep him from seeing Akane, but to lie about his responsibility for his curse was something entirely different.

"How dare you undermine your involvement in my curse? If it wasn't for you and your panda of a father, I wouldn't have to be running away from the rain, and lakes, and ponds, and…"

"SHUT UP, RYOUGA!"

"But you know, it serves you well," Ryouga continued his verbal attack on Ranma. "Who would have thought such a curse would backfire on you? Do you want to know what else Akane confesses in her sleep? Doesn't it kill you that she won't hesitate to kick you out of her room, but she takes me to her bed?"

"Only when you sneak around me!" Ranma yelled back, for a moment forgetting that Akane was just a few feet away from them. Even though in his heart he knew that Ryouga had nothing but distorted situations to go by, the fact that Ranma was still jealous of any man sneaking into her room was enough to push him over the edge. "You know you'd never sleep with her if it was up to me!"

"Puh-lease! Akane's always there to defend me. Even from you."

"Oh, yeah? What are you planning to do when you take her out on a date and you get splashed with cold water, uh? She's gonna _love_ you, then."

Ryouga narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't have it all figured it out but I will make her love me enough to forgive my moments of weakness…or, I'll just throw it back at her that you knew about it all this time, and didn't tell her."

Shit.

"Because you made me!"

"Oh, yes! Blame it on your honor. You wouldn't have to bear the responsibility if you hadn't thrown me into that spring in the first place!"

"You know what? I'm getting really tired of this shit. Why don't you grab your things and walk your ass back home. I'm done here."

Ryouga stood up, facing Ranma who had started walking towards the forest, trying to engage Ryouga into a fight on his way to the river to activate his curse. "You want to solve this like men? I can carry your beat up ass back to Nerima. I'll just wait for your dad to lead the way."

"Now you're talking," Ranma said, cracking his knuckles. "I hope you brought plenty of supplies because you're gonna wake up even more lost than you already are!"

"I'm gonna wake up in Akane's bed as P-chan!"

"R-Ryou-ga?"

Both males froze at the voice behind them as they turned around. Ryouga's eyes widened so much he thought they were going to pop up out of their sockets at seeing Akane standing behind him, wearing only Ranma's shirt. He stared at her up and down and saw she was barefoot, her hair was unruly, and he could see her bra as the top three buttons of the shirt were undone.

"Did you just say P-chan?"

Ryouga stuttered something that not even he knew what it had been. He stood between Ranma and Akane, staring back and forth between them. He eyed the tent, and their clothes, and thought about Ranma's insistence for him to leave, and it all became too clear to him.

"Were you guys…doing…?"

He could not force himself to finish his question. It was obvious to him what was happening. He looked at Akane, who had an unreadable face on her. He then looked back at Ranma, who had since crossed his arms and was frowning. Whether he was frowning at him or at Akane, he was not sure.

"Your dad is not here, is he, Ranma?"

Ranma took a deep breath.

"Nope."

"RYOUGA!"

Her angry scream made them both turn to stare at Akane. She walked up to Ryouga and stood on her toes so she could reach his face. Ryouga stood there, entranced by her angry eyes and stance, and almost distracted by the view of her chest.

"Did you just say you…you're cursed?"

"Akane, I can explain…"

"Oh, yeah, this should be interesting," Ranma said from behind.

"Stay out of it, Ranma," Ryouga threatened. Akane did not take this distraction lightly, pulling on Ryouga's shirt and forcing him to face her.

"Are you P-chan?"

"Akane, I…"

"Answer ME!" Akane cried as she shook him by his collar. Ranma almost felt bad for Ryouga as he had seen Akane angry before, but he knew what would come in an instant was going to break the records of her anger. Ryouga finally nodded to her, making Akane's eyes flare even more.

"I wanted to tell you…earlier on…but…"

"You…you are my P-chan? All this time…"

"Akane, listen. I wasn't trying to take advantage of this, it's just, time passed and it got more difficult to tell you."

"So it was easier to just pretend and to lie to me, and…and…GOD! I can't believe this."

Ryouga knew there was no way out of this. If Akane was going to be mad at him for years to come, he was not going to go down by himself.

"Akane, I know what I did was wrong…I know you trusted me…"

"I DID! I DID TRUST YOU! All my secrets…you…you…"

"But Ranma knew too, Akane! He knew and he didn't tell you!"

Akane released Ryouga's collar, walked around him and headed to Ranma. Ranma immediately held his hands up in a surrender motion, gulping hard with every step she took towards him.

"And you! You knew this shit was going on behind my back? Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Akane, I couldn't!"

"Couldn't or didn't want to? You're nothing but a coward!"

"Akane, I TRIED to tell you. I did!"

"That's the story he just told me," she said while pointing at Ryouga. "You better tell me another one."

"I swear I tried, but you wouldn't listen to me. I tried to kick him out of the house, and your room, but you kept kicking me!"

"Because I thought you were being ridiculous, being jealous of a pig!"

"Honestly, Akane, would you have believed me if I had told you Ryouga and P-chan were the same?"

"Of course! I would have…" she stopped herself midsentence. Of course she would have never believed him! Even though he had no reason to lie, back then he was still the stupid guy her dad had engaged her to. Today, she would have listened to him, back then, no way in hell she would have.

"That's not the point! The point is that you," she turned to point at Ryouga "you pretended to be my pet for all this time and you were just taking advantage of me; and you," she said, now pointing at Ranma. "You knew this was happening and you didn't stop it!"

"Dammit, woman! I did try! You think I wanted that ball of lard sleeping with you? Possibly seeing you naked?"

"Hey! I'm not a ball of lard! And I only saw her naked twice…"

"WHAT?!" Ranma and Akane turned around to face Ryouga. Ryouga's eyes shifted to both sides, as if looking for a way out of the hole had just dug for himself. He scratched his head and shook his head as he tried to mend his statement.

"I meant only three times, four…six…OK, what was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, my God!" Akane said as she covered her face with her hands. "That's why P-chan kept getting nose bleeds every time he saw me naked! And that's why he wouldn't shower with me! And why he would always try to help Ranma find the Nannichuan! And why Ryouga and P-chan have THE SAME FUCKING BANDANA!"

"Wait a minute, you saw her naked?"

"Uh, Ranma…"

"I'm gonna _kill_ you, motherfu-" Ranma began as he walked past Akane, fists up in the air aiming at Ryouga.

"No, wait, Ranma! I tried not to look, I promise!"

"The fuck you didn't! Ryouga…PREPARE TO DIE!"

Ryouga ran around the campsite, avoiding Ranma's punches and kicks. "Ranma, calm the fuck down! Besides, you've obviously seen her naked, too!" Ryouga said as he pointed to Akane's scanty outfit. "Call it even?"

"Call it EVEN?! Are you out of your mind?! Get back here!"

"No, he _hasn'_t seen me naked!" Akane said, "And probably never will!"

"Akane, I can see your…uhm…chest…by the looks of it, I'm sure he's seen more," Ryouga countered. Akane looked down and realized she had not buttoned up her shirt so she did so hastily.

"Let me get this straight. You saw my girlfriend naked, and then you come here and call her a slut in front of me?"

"What? I never…Wait; she's not your girlfriend, is she?"

"Of course she is! What do you think we're doing here? Skiing?"

"Ranma!" Akane said.

"I'm sorry, Akane, but he needs to know the truth or he'll never leave. Ryouga, when you asked Akane for permission to date her before you left, she wasn't paying attention to a thing you said."

"What?"

"Oh, and when she told you that you were right about dating, she had no clue what she was agreeing to, either. We've been dating for a whole…week…and she has no interest in you!"

"You're lying! Akane! Please tell me he's lying!"

Akane shook her head. Any other day she would have tried to let him down gently, but after finding out what she had just found out, she did not care to let ANYONE down gently.

"No, Ryouga, it's true. I wasn't paying attention. However, if you must know, I'd considered dating you if you weren't SUCH A PIG!"

"HA!" Ranma said, adding insult to Ryouga's injury.

"And as for you…you shouldn't have let your other fiancées go, because now you're single!"

"HA!" Ryouga spat back at Ranma, crossing his arms.

"What? No, Akane!" Ranma said as his hands covered the top of his head. "Think about this! You don't mean it! You're just mad, that's all."

"I _am_ mad! You kept the truth from me! You…I trusted you!"

Ranma jogged back to Akane, holding her hands in his. "Please, Akane, just think about it, OK? Why would I willingly hurt you? I wouldn't do this to you on purpose, and I know you know this. Please, just give it some time to…"

"Time to what, Ranma?" Ryouga screamed from behind. "Just accept that we've failed Akane. I for one accept responsibility," Ryouga said as he bowed to Akane. "Akane, please forgive me."

"I thought I told you to get lost! This is between me and my fiancée."

"Ex-fiancée," Akane corrected him.

Ranma growled. "Come on, Akane. Let's talk about this. OK?"

"Akane, can you accept my apology?" Ryouga asked as he got near the couple, standing next to Ranma.

"Go away, P-chan!"

"You go away, I'm trying to do the right thing here and apologize!"

"She's not gonna forgive you! Just give up!"

"Why don't _you_ give up? What kind of fiancée are you? Oh, wait, you are NOT!"

"I told you to shut up and leave!"

"Make me! I'm not leaving here until Akane accepts my apology!"

"You realize all I gotta do is throw your ass into that lake, right?"

"Even as P-chan, I can still scratch the hell outta you!"

"You know, I need some bacon for my okonomiyaki."

"What you need is a shitload of luck for Akane to forgive you!"

"And you need a shitload of luck to find your head out of your ass!"

"ENOUGH!"

Ranma and Ryouga stopped their bickering and stared at a fuming Akane. Her aura was so heavy that her hair was floating around her head, and sparks of electric charge could be seen coming out of her body.

"I've had _enough_ from both of you!"

"Akane, just give us a chance to…"

"AAAHHH!" Akane screamed as she reached forward and grabbed Ryouga by his collar and Ranma by his arm and threw them both into the water. The splash of the water prevented them from hearing her whimper of pain as she pulled her shoulder out of her socket again, or her fast steps as she ran away from the campsite.

The two cursed forms floated on the lake, growling at one another. "Now you've done it, bacon breath."

"BWEEE! BWEE!"

**A/N:** Wow! I never thought this story would be so long. I haven't even gotten to the only idea I had for this. Hehehe…reviews keep the chapters going! See you soon!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Immediately after pouring hot water on their cursed bodies, the two boys searched the areas around the campsite as they looked for Akane. Ideally, the two boys would have split up to find her faster, but with Ryouga's sense of direction, that idea would have turned out to be rather counterproductive. After what felt like an eternity but had been no more than twenty minutes, Ranma finally caught a glimpse of her a few feet in front of them. Akane was sitting on the ground by the edge of the river, her stance was slumped and her shoulders were shaking.

Both boys stopped when they saw her, afraid of Akane's reaction towards them looking for her so fast after their argument. Neither of them dared to take another step until Ranma turned back to stop Ryouga from getting any closer, whispering to him his course of action.

"Wait here. Let me go talk to her, first. Between you and me, I think she's madder at you right now. If I'm wrong, feel free to stop her from running away again after she beats my ass."

Ryouga opened his mouth to complain, but he knew Ranma was correct. Ranma had lied to her, but Ryouga had lied _and_ pretended to be someone he was not, to her; someone she had trusted with her most kept secrets. He reluctantly accepted Ranma's suggestion and sat on the ground behind a tree, giving the couple some privacy.

Ranma slowly walked towards the fallen girl, standing as close to her as he could without touching her. He heard her sniffle, which caused him to frown at the thought of knowing she was crying, and at the realization that he had been the one to make her cry. He purposefully stomped on his spot on the grass to let her know someone was behind her; not wanting to scare her or make her believe someone was stalking her.

"Go. Away." was her tired-sounding response.

Ranma wrinkled his nose. He had not known what to expect from her, but a voice missing the anger he was accustomed to hearing from her had not been what he had in mind.

"You know that ain't gonna happen."

Akane coughed before sniffing again. "Ranma, I want to be left alone."

"And I want you to let me have it so we can get over this and move on. I know you're mad at me, and you can hit me if you want to. But, don't expect an apology from me. I won't offer you one. I refuse to apologize for trying to protect you."

Akane chuckled. She should have known. Ranma would apologize for almost anything except putting her before him. "Ranma, I'm not really _mad,_ mad at you."

"Oh?"

His interest was piqued. Did it mean that she was only mad at Ryouga? Or that she was not as mad as him as she was at Ryouga? Perhaps she was mad at the situation only, but not at the people involved? Ranma silently prayed for the latter to be case.

"Please, just go," Akane said, again. "I don't want you to see me like this."

Ranma took another step towards her, and she did not make any effort to move away. He took her lack of movement as a sign that he could get closer to her. He kneeled behind her, easily towering over her. He quietly scanned her body as he searched for new injuries with his eyes. Her legs were dirty from walking barefoot in between the trees, and she had a few leaves hanging from her clothes and hair, but nothing major stood out to him, yet.

"Akane, let's talk about this, please?"

Akane shut her eyes, pushing back the tears she had just managed to stop. She was tired of feeling sorry for herself; she was tired of the disappointments, but above all, she was tired of being so _stupid_. She really did not want Ranma to see her like this; she knew it would hurt him. The last thing she wanted to do was give Ranma another reason to worry.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Ranma."

Ranma raised his eyebrows, surprised at the turn of events.

"_You're_ sorry? For what?"

Akane growled, finally letting her anger show, which she preferred over the salty tears on her cheeks. "Ugh! I should've seen it before! I was such an idiot! All this time you were trying to tell me, show me, keep me from embarrassing myself. And I thought you were just being a jerk!"

Ranma sighed. An angry Akane he could handle better than a crying Akane.

"These things…they happen."

Akane scoffed as she slightly turned her face back to Ranma to give him an incredulous look. Ranma chuckled at her skeptical face before looking down at the ground and massaging his forehead with his fingers. "OK, fine. So normal people don't turn into pandas, cats, ducks or pigs, but you get my meaning."

Akane nodded before returning her gaze back to the river. "I'm sorry for not believing you, but I'm still upset at you for you not telling me, though."

"I know you are, but I gave my word as a martial artist to Ryouga that I wouldn't. I didn't know then you were gonna play charity and adopt him."

Akane exhaled deeply. She knew how important keeping his word was to Ranma. While he had made some promises he had not been able to keep to others, Akane knew that if he promised something to someone, he intended to keep his end of the bargain. She knew that under the superficial façade of rivalry between Ryouga and Ranma, a relationship closer to a real friendship than they would ever have, existed between them. She did not want to be the one to come between friends, seeing as neither of them seemed to have many they could actually trust.

"I guess I'm at fault here, too." She admitted to herself. "It just makes too much sense now: why Ryouga and P-chan would never be at the same place at the same time; why you were always so jealous of P-chan; why Ryouga was _always_ there when you were trying to cure yourself. It's so obvious now it's painful. Just, please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know."

Ranma's eyes shifted sideways as he thought of a good response. "Uh, Akane… I don't think…"

Akane sighed in defeat, knowing what his reluctance to answer her question meant. Of course, she would be the last one to find out! It irked her to know that others knew about the situation, and no one had bothered to give her a heads up. She could not help but wonder how long had she been the butt end of jokes regarding her blindness –or stupidity, in seeing P-chan for whom he really was.

At first, P-chan had tried to escape her arms when she held him, but she forced him to stay with her. She _had_ been the one to initiate most of the contact, and the one to cause the uncomfortable situations for Ryouga. She would have never believed Ranma if he had actually told her what was behind the origin of the little black piglet, simply because she would have never believed that someone like Ryouga would pull a stunt like this one. She thought she had known Ryouga well enough to know better, and it never crossed her mind that he would play a part in such a serious situation.

Even though he had somewhat betrayed her trust, she still felt awful for him. Now that her anger had been focused towards herself, she could see why Ryouga had done what he had done. P-chan had always been there for her, helping her, comforting her, listening to her, sometimes even saving her. P-chan had been the means through which Ryouga expressed his love to her; his love that he would have otherwise never voiced to her. She felt guilty for misleading him, especially after everything that he had done for her as both Ryouga and her beloved pet. They had all made their share of bad decisions, but she was the only one who had not had another person's feelings in mind.

"How's Ryouga?" she finally asked after a long silence. Ranma was surprised to hear her asking about the guy she had almost choked to death just a few minutes ago. He was not going to lie to her about it; he'd rather have everything out in the open now to guarantee a successful moving on from their argument.

"Upset, sad, ashamed, worried. I'm worried, too, you know?"

Akane nodded, understanding how much she had snapped at both of them. She felt lucky Ranma had even bothered searching for her after she threw them in the lake without even hearing out what they had to say.

_"Typical me,"_ she thought.

Even though they had all done something wrong in their own way, Akane had been the only one who actually acted out her anger and they had received the ugly end of it. She was mad at herself for being so blind that she did not see what now was agonizingly obvious to her. She was mad that she had taken out her anger on the only two men, other than her father and Ono, who she trusted with her life. However, most of all, she was madder at the fact that at the first sign of a difficult situation between her and Ranma, she had bailed out on him without a second thought. She had let her anger get the best of her to the point of jeopardizing her and Ranma's relationship, and this was something she was afraid she could not–would not, be able to get back.

"Ranma, what I said back there…about us."

Ranma stiffened. He wanted her to turn around and face him, try to read her face as she spoke to him. Her voice was steady now, but her tone of voice and its intention was not clear to him. From all the terrible things that had been said and done back at the campsite, the only thing that had hurt him the most was her determination to end the only meaningful relationship he ever had. He did not want to lose her, and not because he had shooed away his other fiancées. He did not want to lose her because she was the only one with whom he saw himself growing old. He swallowed hard before voicing his thoughts on the matter.

"You didn't mean it, right? Please tell me you didn't."

Akane smiled internally, glad that Ranma had not taken her anger-fueled threats seriously. Even after abusing him just now, Ranma was still willing to give them a chance. She did not know if she should be happy or disgusted at the fact that after days of pledging loyalty, trust, and love to one another, she had thrown it all away at the first sight of conflict between them, but he had held on. Ranma did not deserve this kind of treatment from anyone, especially from her. She recalled the last thought that had crossed her mind before Ryouga had interrupted them. She was going to tell him how she felt. She was going to confess she loved him as much as he loved her. She could not –was not, going to delay it any longer.

Armed with all the strength she had left, she cleared her throat before whispering to him the words that demanded to come out of her. She could only hope that Ranma would still accept her after opening up to him like this. She had never grown so close to anyone in her entire life, and putting out her feelings like this made her nervous about what her actions or words could cause between them.

"Of course I didn't, silly. How could I, knowing that I love you."

As soon as her words registered, Ranma felt the wind being knocked out of him. He swore he heard a small gasp coming from behind him, accompanied by a rustle of bushes behind the trees. Ryouga had probably heard her, and while he wanted to care about his friend's broken heart, at the moment he just could not bring himself to do so. He had waited for those words to come from her for him for a long time. He had even given up on hearing them any time soon after she had begun distancing herself from him after the wedding incident. Yet, here they were. The sour taste of an argument still present in their mouths, and instead of continuing the discussion of the fight, she was declaring her love for him, _to_ him.

Time seemed to slow down for both of them after the confession. With each passing second, Akane felt her insecurities envelop her inside a tight cocoon of fear. On the other hand, Ranma expected her to retract her statement any time now, making him afraid to act on her words. When neither of them attempted to do or say anything else, Ranma drew his hands towards her, wanting to make her turn to face him. As soon as he placed his hands on top of her upper arms, an all-too familiar scream of pain escaped her.

Ranma immediately retracted his touch at hearing heavy breathing follow the cry of pain. He had squeezed harder than he thought, but he did not think it had been enough to cause her to scream as she just had.

"Akane, what…?" he started saying as his eyes fixated on her arm; her uncomfortable looking arm.

And it finally hit him; she had thrown them both in the lake, with her arms, including her injured one. While Akane could summon a lot of strength when she became angry, it did not mean her already once-dislocated shoulder would not rebel against the sudden strain just after dislocating only days ago.

Ranma crawled around her so that he could face her, but seeing her so broken made him cringe. "Akane, did your shoulder pop out again?"

Akane nodded in between sobs, making Ranma even more upset and nervous at his impotence to help her end the pain. She had been able to ignore the pain as she laid still and pouted over her foolishness, but Ranma's well-placed touch had been the last straw she could handle. As Ranma's mind raced with the thoughts of taking her to the nearest hospital, her cries grew louder. Ryouga, who was now recovering from the hit of hearing Akane tell his rival she loved him, stood up and walked out of his hiding place. He saw Akane's arm was bent at an awkward and painful angle, and it was not until this moment he realized Akane had a wrist brace on her.

Remembering what Ranma had told him earlier about Akane having an accident, he mentally slapped himself for believing that Ranma would ever joke about her wellbeing.

"Jeez, Akane…san." He added the respectful honorific, feeling not worthy of addressing her so informally. "You _are_ injured," the lost boy finally said.

Ranma looked up to face Ryouga, giving him an _I told you so _look before returning his gaze to his fiancée. He stared at Akane as she hyperventilated to reduce the sensation of pain, which only increased with her attempts to breathe, and the shakes of her body caused by her sobs. Ryouga finally snapped out of his initial shock of seeing Akane injured, and kneeled behind her.

"How close is the nearest hospital, Ranma?"

"Not near enough."

Ryouga shook his head. He knew he was the only one who could help her now, but it killed him to know he had to cause her pain to do so, yet again. First, he had caused her emotional pain by betraying her trust, and now he was going to cause her physical pain by doing what he knew was necessary.

"Akane-san, are you listening to me?"

Akane nodded, the pain making it difficult for her to say anything else as she ground her teeth. Ryouga knew that Akane could pass out due to pain at any moment, so he made it a point to keep her as engaged as he could.

"Listen, Akane-san. I can help you. I can make the pain go away, but it's gonna hurt a little bit more before it gets better. Are you following me, Akane-san?"

Understanding where Ryouga was heading to next, Ranma's head snapped up to stare at his friend, a worrisome look clearly painted on his face. "Do you know how to put it back?"

Ryouga nodded. "I learned a long time ago. Having my sense of direction forced me to play doctor on myself, sometimes. If you can hold her in place, I can pop her shoulder back into its socket."

Ranma gave Ryouga a distrusting look. He knew Ryouga would not hurt her, but his instincts were difficult to override at the moment. If having someone, other than a doctor, examine Akane was not nerve-wracking enough, he also had to let her go through the procedure with no sedative of any kind.

Weighing his options, he realized he did not have any. He had to allow Ryouga to try to help her, and all he could do was watch.

"How many times have you done this before?"

"A few. Mostly on myself," Ryouga answered, nonchalantly. His inability to find a hospital to save his life had forced him to learn survival skills no normal person would think to attempt to use on themselves. Ranma would have never thought Ryouga had a dislocated shoulder problem, seeing how easily he handled his heavy bamboo umbrella. Then again, the heavy umbrella could have been the cause of the injured shoulder in the first place.

Resigned to the idea that this was going to happen whether he liked it or not, Ranma grabbed Akane by her left side to keep her from moving, and to reassure her everything was going to be all right; even if he himself did not know. Ryouga took his action as an OK to proceed, so he placed himself in a similar position Ranma had seen Ono set himself when he had fixed Akane's shoulder the first time.

"I'm going to count to three, Akane-san. Brace yourself."

Akane nodded again.

"One…"

CRACK!

Akane let out a cry of pain that was followed by a sigh of relief. The three of them stayed in their positions as they waited for the shoulder to magically pop back out again for no reason. When it seemed that the worst had passed, Ryouga began to retract his hands from her. He was not able to get far when Akane grabbed his forearm to prevent him from moving away any further.

"Thank you, Ryouga," Akane said in between breaths.

"It was nothing, Akane-san."

"It's…just _Akane_, Ryouga."

With those final words, Akane allowed herself to succumb to the rest her body demanded. Akane's body stumbled forward only to be stopped by two sets of strong arms before she hit the ground.

"Did you kill her?!" An agitated Ranma spat.

"No, she's just tired. Let's take her back to the campsite. She'll be asleep for a while."

Ranma carefully lifted his fiancée from the ground and begun his trek back to their camp. Ryouga follow them closely as he grabbed Akane's arm and checked her pulse before feeling her forehead for a fever. He recommended to Ranma to take her back to Doctor Tofu to make sure no further damage was caused.

"So, were you doing anything important tomorrow?" Ryouga asked as a way to let Ranma know leaving back to Nerima tonight was not an option for Akane.

Fully understanding Ryouga's implicit order, Ranma nodded. "Yeah, skipping school to watch over my girl."

**A/N:** I've been out of the country this week, so getting this chapter ready was kind of difficult. This chapter actually ended up being much longer than the rest, so I had to split it into two. Chapter 23 is almost complete, and after giving you guys some time to read this one, I will post the next one shortly after. Hope you like that the break-up didn't last long, and that Ryouga is on the road to recovery, as well.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Akane had been placed inside the tent as soon as the boys had arrived back to camp with her. Ranma had made sure she was tucked in under the blankets, as well as ensuring her shoulder and wrist were laid flat above the covers. Once he had been satisfied that she would be OK for the rest of the day, he had walked out from the tent and invited Ryouga to have dinner with him.

Ranma and Ryouga sat around the fire, quietly and –more surprisingly, slowly, eating their food. To an innocent bystander, the scene would represent no more than two friends camping out with no care in the world. However, behind the calm demeanor of both martial artists, a storm of _what if'_s poured down inside their minds.

Halfway through his okonomiyaki, Ryouga stopped and stared at the campsite's location. He had never been in a place such as this before, and was yet to understand how he ended up getting lost here in the first place. This location was almost completely secluded, so much that he knew even his lack of direction would never bring him back here ever again. He was now certain someone up above had wanted him to stop here for some reason. Otherwise, he would have never considered making that right turn three miles ago.

He watched as Ranma absentmindedly ate his okonomiyaki, not really interested in savoring his favorite food. Ryouga cleared his throat to catch his friend's attention before speaking to him in a low tone of voice.

"It's really nice out here. I wouldn't mind coming back here, if I knew how."

Ranma chuckled lightly. "Yeah, it's pretty calm and has almost everything you need to be OK for a while."

"Hot spring?"  
"Yup, that-a-way," he said as he pointed in the direction of the spring.

"River?"

"Opposite side."

"Fish?"

"Lots of them."

"Ah!" Ryouga said, suddenly running out of small chat. He took another chunk of his okonomiyaki and chewed slowly. Ranma watched Ryouga struggle with his thoughts, so he decided to start the awkward conversation they both knew they needed to have.

"So, now what?"

Ryouga shrugged. "You're still half girl. Akane still has her temper, and I'm still a pig. Sounds to me like nothing has changed."

Yet, it had. Akane and Ranma were officially an item now. Kodachi was out of their lives. Shampoo had been warned to stay away, and Ukyo had been satisfied with being their friend –for now. Ranma scoffed internally at his situation with Ukyo. He was no fool. He knew that everything seemed fine now because Ukyo hoped that one day he and Akane would break up. Truth was, other than today when Akane lost it at Ryouga's unwilling confession of his curse, Ranma never thought that day would ever come. Luckily, for him, Ukyo was nowhere around to take action upon the slipup.

"Hey, Ryouga. Where did you go after…?"

Ranma did not have to finish his question. Ryouga had left immediately after believing Akane was accepting their courting to do who knows what. Part of it had been to be lost inside the house and spend a few hours with Akane in pig form, but the rest of the time, Ranma did not know what he had done. Ranma had initially thought he had gone to China to cure his curse, but it was obvious by now that it had not been the case.

"I tried to go to China for the cure, but…well, who am I kidding, right? I ended up visiting Akari, with the intention of breaking up with her."

"Oh! Sorry, man."

"Don't be. I couldn't find the guts to do it. I guess at some level I knew what I thought I had with Akane was too good to be true."

Ranma laughed. "You're such a two-timer, man!"

"Hey! You're one to talk!"

"I'll have you know that my only fiancée now is the pretty lady inside the tent."

Ryouga narrowed his eyes at Ranma, waiting for him to blink first. Ranma opened his eyes even wider, showing Ryouga that he was not joking at all. Ryouga pulled back at his reaction and stared at the tent as he spoke.

"I can't believe you just paid Akane a compliment."

Ranma wanted to be taken aback by his comment, but he knew that before Akane's sudden change, all he had offered her in the past had been nothing but childish insults. He thought Akane had known this was his way to show her affection, but he now realized that he had just orchestrated the most successful campaign to push her away. He could not blame her or Ryouga, or anyone else, to be doubtful of his recent comforting nature towards her.

"You'd be even more surprised to find out all I've learned in the last month."

"Have you told her?"

Ranma lowered his head, nodding. He was not ashamed of what he felt or had done, but in the back of his mind, Ryouga's feelings getting hurt still upset him. "Almost every day. I don't want her to forget."

Ryouga took a deep breath. He had heard perfectly clear when Akane had acknowledged her feelings for Ranma, and now Ranma was making it clear he had shared his own feelings with her, as well. Back then, Ryouga had believed himself to have a small chance at getting Akane to love him. Today, after seeing the couple interact, he knew his chance had passed and was now long gone.

"I don't need to remind you that if you hurt her, I will come back and break your neck, right?"

Ranma chuckled. "Not at all. As long as I don't have to remind you that if you sneak into her room again, I will have to break yours."

"We're clear on that."

"Good."

The two boys continued their conversation for a couple more hours as they chatted about Ryouga's travels and Ranma's misadventures in Nerima. After they felt they were completely caught up with the other's life, Ryouga said goodbye to Ranma before heading back to Nerima, hopeful to be able to find his home so he could rest for a while. Ranma tasked himself with washing the utensils used for their lunch, and then packed everything they would no longer need for the night. He planned for him and Akane to return to Nerima tomorrow morning, as soon she was ready to leave.

Realizing he reeked to high hell, he grabbed a set of clean clothes, soap, shampoo, and a towel before heading to the hot spring. He placed the clean clothes high up on a nearby boulder, and the cleaning items close to the edge of the spring. He removed his pants and boxers before sinking inside the warm water so that his head was the only part of his body that remained afloat. He rested his head on the boulder where his clean clothes lay, closed his eyes, and he thought about the events of the day. Particularly, the memories of him and Akane on the mountain, and inside the tent, filled his mind.

He could not help but smiling at such memories. He could still feel her skin under his fingertips and the taste of her mouth on his lips. It had been the first time he had made out with anyone –girl, thankfully, and he was delighted that it had been with Akane. He wondered when he would have another chance to be with her like before, causing him to feel slightly nervous at the idea that they _could_ share such intimacy again. It was no longer a question of if, but a question of when.

If a year ago someone would have told him that he would love the idea of being engaged to Akane, he would have laughed immediately before punching that one person in the face. A year ago, his priorities had been incredibly different than today's. A year ago, all he cared about was himself and finding the cure for his curse. Today, a year later, all he cared about was making sure his future with Akane was a happy one. Maybe the ruined wedding had not been that much of a disaster. Maybe, without the events than unraveled due to the failed attempted at nuptials, he and Akane would have never grown so close to each other.

Ranma took a deep breath as he sank deeper inside the spring until all that could be seen was his face from the nose up. He could feel his tensed muscles relax under the calming waters, making him feel too lazy to even attempting to truly bathe himself. The sun had begun to set, and he was slowly being surrounded by the sound of the first night animals starting to come out of their nests. He heard a few chirping crickets, the singing of birds as they stopped their scavenging for the day, and the soft crunch of steps on the grass.

_"Wait; steps on the grass?"_

Ranma's eyes snapped open only to widen as big as plates.

He slowly took the other half of his face out of the water, so that he could speak, but his voice had taken a vacation on him without his permission. In front of him, standing at the opposite edge of the spring, stood his fiancée, her body wrapped in nothing more than a towel. She gave him a shy smile before taking a step closer to the spring.

"Is there room for two?" she asked him, but all he could do was mumble. Akane took this as an invitation, and before she would lose her nerve, she unwrapped the towel from her now nude body, and allowed the towel to fall on the ground. Ranma stared back and forth between the towel and Akane, still not being able to utter a word. He shakily pointed at the fallen towel with his index finger several times, as if trying to warn Akane that it had fallen from her.

Akane chuckled at his lingering shock. "Come on, Ranma! You've seen me naked before, right?"

Ranma shook his head vigorously. Yes, he had seen her naked before, but on one occasion it had only been by accident and she had a towel partially covering her body, and the most recent occasion, he had been too preoccupied about bringing her back to life to stare at her body. Seeing Ranma was not going to snap back to reality with just words, she slowly made her way inside the spring, and walked to stand in front of him.

By now, Ranma was pushing his back against the boulder he had just been resting on so carefree just thirty seconds ago. He felt his heart was going to leap out of his chest when she cupped his face in her hands. He swallowed hard as she pressed her lips on his, and it took him longer than usual to respond to her kiss. Once he did, he felt a little bit of his nervousness melting away. When she broke the kiss, she kept her hands on his face, tracing his cheeks with her thumbs.

Ranma, trying not to let his eyes linger down to see through the water, gulped again before finding his voice and whispering to her. "Akane, w-what are y-you doing?"

Akane was glad he was coming around. She gave him a devious smile as she pressed her body closer to his; quickly realizing his body liked the attention she was giving him. Ranma flinched when he saw that Akane had felt his reaction to the situation, but his apprehension disappeared when she did not attempt to place some distance between them.

"What does it look like? I'm making it _even_."

"Making it…even?"

Ranma stared deeply into her eyes, trying to read her inner thoughts. Was this vengeance for not telling her about Ryouga? Was she suddenly going to smack him upside the head for being such a perv? Or, was she, he hoped, serious about bathing with him?

"Ryouga told you he wanted to call it even, right? Well, I'm going to make sure it is."

"Akane, you don't have to do this."

"I know. I _want_ to."

Not allowing him to rebut her again, she pressed her lips on his again, and made sure their bodies touched as much as they could. Her hands roamed from his face to his shoulders, his arms, his chest, and then down to his hands. He was frozen on the spot, his only response to her were his attempts to return the kiss. Akane grabbed his hands and pulled them up to rest them on her rear. Ranma's body stiffened up even more at her forwardness, but slowly began melting in her embrace and advances.

After a few moments, Ranma had switched places with her, and she was the one resting against the boulder now. Using it as support, Ranma's hands went to the back of her thighs so he could lift and wrap her legs around his waist, just as the night before. This time, however, there were no clothes between them, and they were very aware of this newfound freedom.

Having her in such a position, allowed him to have free access to her chest, and he wasted no time in taking advantage of it. Akane closed her eyes as she lost herself in all the sensations that were running through her body, enjoying every second of them. Once he was satisfied for now, he slowly lowered her body so he could tackle her neck and shoulders with his mouth while his hands slid from one part of her body to the next. Akane began moaning, making him even more willing to continue his exploration.

"I love how you taste, Akane."

Akane bit her lip, holding back another moan as she concentrated on saying her next words. She found his hands and guided them to her back, silently telling him to stop for now. She pushed herself back a bit so that he could face him, and she was able to see the awkwardness of just moments ago was gone from his features. Before her was a boy –a man, who wanted nothing more than to show her with his actions how much he meant to her.

Akane placed her arms around his neck, using him for support as she felt her body would fail to support her any time now. She gave him a half smile before placing a quick kiss on his lips to get his attention. He returned the smile and kiss before staring down at her eyes.

"Ranma, I meant what I said before. I truly love you."

The happiness in his eyes was too much for her to witness. His expectations of her poured from every pore in his body, making her feel overwhelmed. She pulled him closer to her and rested her chin on his shoulder. Ranma, with his face in the same position as hers, placed small kisses on her cheek and shoulder, occasionally nuzzling the skin in between.

"Say it again, Akane," he demanded.

"I love you, Ranma."

"You love _me_?"

"I love _you_."

"How much do you love me?"

"Too much for my own good."

Ranma chuckled at her response. "I know what that feels like."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

"I intend to…but not here…and not tonight," he said, pointing at her shoulder with his chin. Akane understood his concern, and was actually grateful for it. She did not think she could go through more than what they had already done so far, but she had wanted some sort of confirmation that he was in it for all that he was worth.

"There's something else I can do for you, instead."

"Oh?"

Ranma untangled himself from her and reached over to the edge of the spring to grab the soap. Akane rolled her eyes at his implication, but allowed him to continue with his task. Seeing she was giving him free range, he wetted the soap before slowly rubbing it over her body. He would rub the soap on her skin, and then massage to soap with his free hand. He continued the technique with every part of her body she allowed –which was pretty much all of them.

Once he finished, he helped her duck down inside the water to wet her hair. Once she did, he grabbed the shampoo and applied it onto her hair. He turned her around so that her back was facing him and began to massage the shampoo onto her scalp as his body rubbed on hers. He finally allowed her to duck down again and helped her rinse her hair. When he was done, she turned around and grabbed the soap in her hand, ready to return the favor.

"Err…Akane, I don't think you want to do that."

"Why not? 'Tis a two-way street, boy."

"It's not the same."

"How come?"

"Do you know what you do to me when you touch me WITH clothes on?"

"Why don't you tell me after this, uh?"

She ignored Ranma's pleas and began repeating his technique on him. Ranma swallowed hard and exhaled as he begged to the gods for restraint. His body was already ready to take this even further, but he was not going to let it happen yet. He respected Akane enough to not let his hormones take over and take her when and where she did not deserve. He was going to put a ring on her finger before he laid his hands all over her without restrictions, as he so desperately wanted to do now.

Akane, however, did not play fair. Her bathing of him was mixed with slow caresses, kisses and brushes of her body against his. She could see Ranma shutting his eyes as he tried to think of anything else except the gorgeous nude girl rubbing herself all over him. His thin concentration was broken when he felt her hands reach his hair and began undoing his pigtail. He opened his eyes and watched her focus on the task before pushing him down inside the water by his shoulders to wet his hair when she was done.

Akane had not seen Ranma without his pigtail too many times, so it caught her eyes any time she did. She ran her fingers through his now loose hair, admiring how well kept he kept it. Ranma inhaled the scent of her clean body as she massaged his scalp to relax him. She then grabbed the shampoo and began slowly rubbing it on his head, using her fingers to run the shampoo to the tips of his hair. As opposed to making his back face her, Akane preferred to remain face to face, so she could admire his features as he lost himself in her touch.

"You'll be the end of me, Akane Tendo."

"It can't be_ that_ bad – ah!"

Ranma's eyes immediately shifted down to her, catching a glimpse of her flinching. He wrinkled his nose as he grabbed her hands and took them away from his head. Akane pouted at the action, but lifting her shoulder had made it hurt and he knew it. She watched as Ranma dipped himself under the water to rinse his hair before rising up again. "That's enough for today, 'kane. Let's go to bed so we can leave tomorrow morning."

Akane nodded, watching as he put his pigtail back in place. Once he was done, he grabbed the closest towel and wrapped it around his legs as he got out of the spring. He then walked around the other side and lifted the towel Akane had brought. He walked back to her and handed it to her. She wrapped it around herself as she got out of the spring herself. She eyed his shirt before staring at him with another signature shy smile.

"You didn't bring any clothes, did you?"

Akane giggled, tilting her head to the side. "Mind if I borrow your shirt, again?"

"Yeah, but what will you wear underneath?"

Akane walked towards Ranma, stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.

"Nothing."

She did not wait for Ranma to react. She grabbed his shirt, threw the towel at his face, and quickly put it on. By the time Ranma removed the towel from his face, Akane was gone. He grabbed the toiletries and dirty clothes before beginning his way back to the campsite with a grin on his face.

_"I can get used to this,"_ the thought. _"I can get used to this pretty well."_

When Ranma arrived at the camp, Akane was already inside the tent, waiting for him to join her for the rest of the night.

**A/N:** Anyone else need oxygen reading this? LOL! Hope you liked it. What should I do next?


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"TADAIMA!"

Kasumi heard the couple walk inside the home and announce their arrival as she rushed from the kitchen to the entrance. Before her stood Ranma and Akane, seemingly happier than when they had left in a rush a few days ago. Kasumi hugged her little sister as Ranma grabbed the bags and took their dirty clothes to the back of the house for washing. Kasumi then grabbed the bag with utensils and dropped them in the sink to rewash them with soap, and Akane placed the last of the okonomiyaki inside the fridge.

Akane sat on a chair at the kitchen as she watched her elder sister clean up their camping items. After a brief –and altered, explanation of why they had been a day late in returning from their camping, Akane informed Kasumi she was due to a visit to the doctor today. Satisfied that nothing life threatening had happened to either of them, and believing that running into Ryouga had been the reason why they had been late, Kasumi dropped the subject and continued her task.

After a while, Ranma returned from unpacking both he and Akane's belongings and walked inside the kitchen. He sat across from Akane and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He frowned as he eyed Kasumi and then Akane, waiting for either of them to explain themselves. When neither sister responded to his demanding eyes, he cleared his throat to get their attention before he spoke.

"So, why is Akane's room filled with so many…new things?"

Akane tilted her head as she stared at Ranma with a confused look, only for him to return a knowing one back to her. She had not even walked inside her room yet, how was she supposed to know what he was talking about. Seeing Ranma's stance was still defiant, Akane began to feel upset at his sudden challenging attitude towards her.

"You tell me. I was with you the past three days, remember?"

Ranma's intense glare reduced a tad, remembering that whatever had happened in her room while she was out was not Akane's fault. He resorted to looking at his future sister-in-law as he waited for an answer. Kasumi continued to wash the items until Akane's comment sparked a reminder in her.

"Oh! You mean the get-well wishes in her room. Some of her friends stopped by over the weekend to visit her. Since she was out, they left their gifts for her. There was this one gentleman in particular, he was quite insistent. He came by every morning for the past three days. You may see half of your room filled with presents from him."

"A man? Was it Kuno?"

"No. He did stop by, but he's not the one I'm referring to. His name is…"

"Orochi," Ranma finished for her, staring at Akane again. The girl did not wait for Ranma to make another comment, and she excused herself from the kitchen to go to her room. The pigtailed boy wasted no time and followed his fiancée to her room. Once inside, Akane could only gawk at the scene.

Her room and its belongings disappeared under a mountain of different types of floral arrangements, presents, stuffed animals, and other similar items. Ranma purposefully slammed shut the door behind him as he and Akane struggled to move around the small space. Akane saw that her bag of personal items had been left on the ground, as Ranma had been unable to find another more suitable place for it.

Akane walked to the closest floral arrangement she could find and read the tag. She exhaled when she saw the sender's name was no one other than Orochi Satou. She then moved to the next bouquet and saw he had sent it as well. She eyed a handful of more gifts and four out of the five belonged to Orochi. Ranma watched her as she began carrying the items off her bed and stacking them on top of each other on the floor. In a matter of moments, and no thanks to a static Ranma's help as he was still fuming by the window, the room was cleared of enough clutter to move around freely again.

She sat on the edge of her bed, and grabbed the closest wrapped gift to her. She placed it on her lap and read the label. This gift was from Sayuri, so she eagerly opened it. The contents revealed a book titled "Shoulder Dislocation for Dummies," making her chuckle at the well-intended joke. She set it aside and grabbed the next gift, which was from Daisuke. She removed the tape from the small gift bag and pulled out a package with reusable chopsticks for _left-handed_ individuals. The title of _left-handed_ had been written on a sticky note that was plastered over the package's true title. Akane let out a small laugh at her friend's concern, knowing there was no such thing as left-handed chopsticks.

Ranma, however, still sulked by the window, eyeing her movements with calculated glares. He slowly exhaled, trying to lower his anger as he walked up to her and sat on the floor by her feet. "Who are those from?"

Akane lifted her eyebrows, surprised his jealousy had dissipated so quickly. She grabbed one gift in each hand and handed them to him.

"This is from Daisuke, and this is from Sayuri."

Ranma's temper was replaced with relief at seeing not all of the gifts belonged to Orochi. Akane grabbed a third gift, this one greater in size than the first two. She shook it a little before placing it on her lap and tearing it open. The box revealed paper covering the present inside, so she tore the paper out so she could reach the inside of the box. Once she found what she was looking for, she gasped as she pulled the most beautiful silk night robe she had ever seen.

Her fingertips caressed the fabric as she carefully unfolded the entire piece of clothing. As she did so, a single piece of paper fell out of its folds, right onto Ranma's lap. He grabbed the paper and flipped it over, his frown quickly returning as he read the contents. Akane laid the robe on her bed only to look back at her fiancée's pouting face.

"What now?"

Ranma's thinned lips said nothing and he just handed her the note. Akane grabbed it and read it aloud.

"_Dear Akane,_

_ This will assist your comfort for a speedy recovery while you remain home. You will find the matching set in other boxes. I hope it is of your liking._

_Orochi Satou"_

Akane shook her head in disapproval of both the note and Ranma's attitude before handing him back the note and grabbing another gift. Ranma stared in awe as Akane continued to open other boxes that contained the _matching items_ Orochi had mentioned. After three more boxes, Akane had found a pair of slippers, a nightie, and even a pair of satin panties. At the sight of the last item in Akane's hands, Ranma lost his temper. He stood up and began pacing around the room, his hands waving in the air as he spoke.

"Who the fuck does he think he is, sending underwear to my girlfriend? No, wait, take it back. My _FIANCEE_?!"

Akane exhaled as she watched her fiancée pace around the room like a caged lion, screaming reasons why the gifts were inappropriate, why she should send them back, and why Orochi had earned a one-way trip to Nerima Hospital. Akane allowed him to vent to no one in particular, as she opened her other gifts. Ranma's pacing ended when he felt he had blown off some steam, but as soon as he turned to face her, she was pulling yet another night robe.

"Are you shitting me? How many did he send?"

Akane searched in between the folds for a note. When she found one, Ranma snatched it from her and read it aloud.

"_Dear Akane,_

_I seemed to have missed you, yet again. Here is a third set of comfortable clothing for you._

_Orochi Satou."  
_

Ranma crumpled the note and threw it on the floor.

"A _third_ set? Hey, two more and you can have your school week covered!" Ranma said with every ounce of sarcasm he had inside him. Akane stood up from her bed and walked towards him standing in front of him with an amused smile on her face. Ranma rubbed his face with his hands and growled. Seeing Akane smiling, Ranma balled his fists on his sides, taking deep breaths to not go off on the girl.

"What are you so happy about? Are you loving your gifts?"

"I'm loving your jealousy."

"Jealous!? I'm not…ugh! So what if I am?"

"You're an idiot."

"Am I? AM I?"

"Big time. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? He just gave you a huge gift."

"Me? A gift? What gift? Giving my girl skimpy clothes she can wear…oh! Ooohhh!" Ranma finally saw the light at the end of the apparently dark tunnel. His eyes looked over her shoulder at the items laid on her bed, particularly a red night robe that included a matching set of lacy panties. His mind played tricks on him, and showed him a mental image of Akane wearing nothing but the lacy red panties while lying on the bed. The blush on his cheeks told Akane he had finally figured out how Orochi had shot himself in the foot with his gifts.

Composing himself, he turned back to face a still smiling Akane. He scratched his head as he spoke. "Are there any more?"

Akane laughed aloud, slapping his arm in the process. After Ranma recovered from his embarrassment, he joined Akane on the bed and helped her unwrap the rest of her gifts. The couple then grabbed a few of the floral arrangements and walked around the home, finding locations for the bouquets. After Akane's room had been tidied up enough to be deemed livable again, Akane decided to take a long bath to clean the nature side of their trip from herself.

Kasumi had just finished cleaning the cooler, so after kissing Akane on her forehead before her bath, Ranma grabbed the cooler and headed out to Uc-chan's to return the borrowed item. Ranma walked down the street, whistling a nameless tune and balancing the cooler on his head. He took his time walking to Uc-chan's as he knew that he would arrive at around the same time Ukyo would from school. He was surprised to find, however, that the restaurant was already up and running. He peeked his head inside and saw Ukyo already serving a handful of patient customers at the front bar.

"Welcome to Uc-chan's!" Ukyo greeted when Ranma hit the dream catcher at the door. As soon as her eyes caught sight of him, she waved her hands at him, inviting him to join her behind the counter. Ranma complied and stood with the cooler in his hands, waiting for Ukyo to tell him where to leave the item. Suddenly, a voice from behind made him turn to see Konatsu returning to the bar after serving tables.

"Hey, Ranma-kun. I'll take that from you," Konatsu said as he took the cooler off Ranma's hands.

"Hey, Konatsu. When did you get here?"

"Just this morning; my vacation is over, time to get back to work."

"Yup," Ranma said, not sure how to or if to continue the conversation with Ukyo's assistant. After Ukyo had been able to dispatch her customers, she ran to Ranma and gave him a hug he returned by patting her back with one hand.

"Ran-chan! How was your trip?"

"It went pretty well, until Akane dislocated her shoulder again."

"What? No!"

"Yeah, but thankfully, _Ryouga_ was there to save the day."

"Oh?" Ukyo said as her eyebrows hit the roof of her forehead. Ukyo knew how Ryouga felt about Akane, and could only imagine the awkwardness between him and Ranma after he realized the growing serious relationship between Ranma and Akane.

"And?"

"It's all good, now. I see you have two assistants, now. Getting busy? Did you even go to school today?"

"Only one. Tsubasa left this morning as soon as Konatsu returned from vacation. The conference ran a little late, so I missed school today. Thought 'what the hell!' and opened early today."

"Yeah, I and Akane just got back today, too. We had to delay our return thanks to Ryouga's visit."

"Oh, I bet!"

"Anyway, I wanna take Akane to Tofu's office. I'll see you tomorrow at school, K?"

"Sure, thing, Hon."

Ranma waved goodbye to his friend as he power walked back to the Tendo home. He suddenly remembered he had to work today, so he had to hurry up if he did not want to be late. As he rounded the corner of the Tendo residence, he was greeted by a jaw-dropping scene. Akane was standing outside the home, pinned against the entrance door by Orochi's lips. It took him less than a second to react, but it was less than a second too late. He watched as Akane ducked down and effectively punched Orochi in the stomach with her good arm. She then used the distraction to jump up in the air and roundhouse kick Orochi to the ground.

Once her feet lay on the ground again, Ranma ran towards Akane, holding her back when he saw she was not done with her guest. Feeling someone holding her back, Akane reacted by swinging her left arm towards her new assailant. Ranma ducked just in time before standing full height after her swing stopped.

"Whoa, 'kane, it's me!"

Akane sighed in relief at seeing her boyfriend arrive before turning to face the man on the ground. "Don't ask what he did," she began. "All I can tell you is that he had it coming."

"I'm sure," Ranma said without a hint of a doubt in his voice, and a wide grin on his face. He walked closer to Orochi, who was still conscious enough to frown at him. "Hey, Orochi! How's it hanging down there?"

"Did you hit me, Saotome?"

Ranma shook his head, not being able to stop the smile of satisfaction plastered on his face. "Nope. That was all Akane. I'd love to tell ya _I told you so_, but I think she kinda did that herself just now."

Orochi stared at Akane, not truly understanding how such a petite girl had been able to take him down. Ranma looked up and faced Akane, who was now calmer but still had her guard up. "Yo, Akane! Let's go to our appointment, uh?"

Akane nodded at him without ever removing her eyes from Orochi. She wanted to make sure he understood that next time Ranma would not be there to stop her. Ranma realized Akane would not walk away from the already won fight, so he grabbed her hand and led her away from the fallen man. As Ranma walked with Akane hand in hand, he snapped his fingers before turning around to face Orochi over his shoulder.

"I almost forgot, man! Thank you for the clothes! Akane looks really good in them!"

Orochi frowned in confusion for a moment, but then narrowed his eyes in anger. He cursed under his breath before resting his head back on the ground as he waited for his energy to return to him.

xxxXXXxxx

"Can you believe that creep? Am I surrounded by perverted men who only think about forcing themselves on me?"

"Well, can you blame them? It's your fault for being so…you know…nice to look at."

Akane felt a blush rise to her face. Ranma and her had been dating for over a week now, had made out twice, AND had bathed together. How was it possible for such a vague comment to make her skin tingle? Akane exhaled as the last bit of her anger left her body, and focused on tightening the grip on Ranma's hand.

"So, is punching a guy who tries to kiss you without permission standard procedure, or…?"

"I didn't punch him because he kissed me."

"What?"

Akane shrugged. "Like you said, he isn't the first or the last to try that on me."

"But he'll be the last one I let walk away alive."

Akane shook her head. "I can take care of myself, Ranma. You don't need to fight for me."

"I didn't say you couldn't."

"I know."

"So, why did you punch him, then?"

"He, uhm," she hesitated. "You know what? It's nothing."

"What? What do you mean it's nothing? The guy just had his ass plastered over the sidewalk. He musta done something fucked up!"

"Forget it, Ranma."

"Hey!" he said as he stopped their walk and turned to stand in front of her. When she tried to walk away, he held her in place by resting his hands on her hips. Akane looked up at his expression, almost immediately melting in his face of concern.

"What did he do? Was it worse than kissing? Just give me five minutes and I'll come back with his balls on a silver platter for you."

Akane chuckled. "As _appealing_ as that sounds, no, that won't be necessary, Ranma."

Ranma wrinkled his nose at the thought of the opportunity lost. He would just have to wait for another provocation to do what he had described Akane.

"Well, tell me, what did he do to you?"

"He didn't _do_ anything."

Ranma blinked rapidly. "Uh, Akane. I just stopped you from creaming that guy. I don't think you'd done that for no reason."

"I didn't say he didn't deserve it! He just didn't do anything…he…_said_ something I didn't like."

"Did he call you names?"

"Ranma! Stop it! It's stupid!"

"If it was stupid, then why did you get so MAD!"

"I'm not MAD!"

"THE HELL YOU'RE NOT!"

"STOP IT!"

"NO! Tell me what he SAID!"

"FORGET IT!"

"No!"

"Ranma!"

"Akane!"

"Let it go!"

"No way! What did he say?"

"Nothing!"

"What. Did. He. Say?"

"Nuh-thing."

"Do you want me to go ask him?"

"NO!"

"SO?"

Akane sighed in defeat. "You're so stubborn!"

"Whatever you say, _pot_."

"Well, _kettle_, he…said, he lied…he insulted…you."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "You punched him because he called me names?"

"THEY WERE REALLY BAD NAMES!"

"I'm sure."

"See? That's why I didn't want to tell you! You think I'm dumb!"

"No, I don't."

"You do."

"No, Akane. I think it's nice you stood up for me. Not that many people do that, you know?"

"Yeah, well…" Akane said as she recalled how demeaning Orochi had been about Ranma's way of life. Akane was not aware that Orochi had already relayed his thoughts to him personally. At this point, however, it was better that Akane was not given another reason to beat up the upperclassman.

"Anyway, let's go to Dr. Tofu's. I gotta go to work soon."

Ranma grabbed Akane's hand again and guided her to the clinic. By the time they left, Akane had been confined to her home for at least two weeks with no activity, and she had to use an arm sling for a month. With a new set of exercises Akane had to perform at least three times a week to make up for the second dislocation in a week, Ranma decided to request a change of his schedule at work. Working twice a week instead of three times would accommodate Akane's therapy schedule, and would allow him to spend more time with her.

After dropping off Akane back at home, Ranma left at top speed for work. Wasting no more time and feeling exhausted, Akane went up to her room, ready for a quick nap. As her last thoughts before the slumber that took over her were of Ranma, the voices she had heard before returned again, pushing aside all happy thoughts of their future together.

She had given up on finding out what the images of her crying herself to sleep meant, and had no interest in knowing if they were hallucinations or forgotten memories. Everything was right in her world, and as long as Ranma and her stayed together, her tormentors could go fornicate themselves at their own leisure. She shook her head as the images flooded her head again. This time, however, the final message spoken to her at the end of the images was completely different, and it was one that she could not easily ignore. Akane held tightly onto her pillow, wishing the voices would stop coming through.

_"Go to bed, child. Everything will end, soon."_

Unbeknownst to her, miles away, a pigtailed boy heard a voice of his own.

_"You've made your choice. Your choice, you have made."_

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, this story has begun to wrap itself up, and perhaps it will do so in no more than ten more chapters. Since these chapters are much shorter than my usual 8K ones, this means not much is left to be said or done. The final obstacle will become apparent very soon, though. What do you think the final challenge will be for these two?


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

_"What should I do?"_

An extremely pensive Akane sat in a chair on the balcony of her home. She watched as the stars began to appear in the sky, one by one. The scene, however, was nothing compared to the magnificent view she had encountered on her camping trip two weeks ago, but it was all she could get for now due to her injury. Since then, Ranma had been taking her to therapy every other day, without fail. He had also been the messenger between her teachers and herself by bringing in homework and tests, and then taking them back when she completed them.

Doctor Tofu expected Akane to make a full recovery before the school year ended, but the administrators at the school had recommended she finished the school year in the comfort of her home. After the incident with the drugged Kodachi, the principal did not want to take any more chances in having Akane become injured again. She was saddened to not be able to attend school and continue all her other activities, and she missed her friends. However, she was also glad that she did not have to encounter Orochi or Kuno, or any other loser who had at some point tried to court her.

Staring at her arm sling, she remembered the reason why she had to wear it in the first place: Shampoo. After three days of returning to school, Ranma had commented to her that Shampoo had not shown up in days. Further investigation on his part revealed the Nekohanten's establishment had not only been abandoned but had also been placed up for lease with a new vendor. Akane had mustered all the shock she could summon to pretend she had not known why or when the Amazons had left. Ranma had not questioned the sudden move too much, and had soon forgotten about the members of the Chinese tribe.

Her worries about the Amazons were soon forgotten when she began to return to her normal life, or as normal as it could be without attending school. Her friends had been coming to visit her every couple of days to assist with her attempts at regaining normalcy, and Orochi had placed his distance between him and all things Akane, including Ranma. Days after her attempted murder towards Orochi, Ranma had confessed to her that Orochi had already shared with him his thoughts regarding Ranma's inadequacy to be with her, and Akane had nearly ran to Orochi's house to kill him.

After a discussion with Ranma, she had agreed that she had exaggerated her response to Orochi's taunts, and that Ranma did not care what the upperclassman had to say about him as long as Akane did not believe his observations were at all true. Ranma's commitment to her had become so strong that he had spoken to his mother regarding the move, and had convinced her to allow him to stay at the Tendo's until the school year ended.

Taking only Genma with her, Nodoka had been pleased that her son displayed such _manly_ behavior of staying behind to assist his injured fiancée in her time of need. Ranma had remained in the Tendo home, and had been thrilled to have his room all for himself. He had also taken more responsibilities at home to offset some of the costs of maintenance, and had begun taking lessons from Tofu regarding home repair. It seemed, to anyone who stood outside looking in, that Ranma was preparing himself to be the man of the house for the Tendo home and dojo.

With so many changes in his attitude, the family began to question the motive behind his new sense of responsibility. Just three days ago, Akane and Ranma had had the difficult discussion with their parents regarding their relationship. After a long argument with everyone involved, Nodoka had agreed to allow Ranma and Akane to remain unmarried until the two youngsters finished high school. Ranma had made himself clear that he would not jump into something neither he nor Akane were ready for, and especially when Akane was still recovering from her injuries. He had also made a point to threaten anyone who went against their wishes by swearing to them Akane and he would elope and would never be heard from again.

Reluctantly, the families had accepted to wait until after graduation, claiming the new deadline gave them more time to plan the perfect wedding for the couple. Akane had been relieved that she and Ranma's relationship was out in the open, and that night they had celebrated by spending the night in his room.

While their encounter had been nothing more than a night of holding each other while they slept, sharing small caresses and whispering loving words to each other, Akane had been the happiest woman in the world. Her suitors were gone. His suitors were gone as well. Her shoulder and her wrist were on the road to recovery, and Ranma would stay in the home for the remainder of the school year. Everything was right in the world, their world. Everything seemed to go their way, until last night.

Ever since her return from their camping trip, Akane had begun having recurring nightmares. At first, they had been repeats of the images that had plagued her during their trip. She saw herself crying on her pillow in her room, repeatedly. She saw herself begging to forget Ranma, to forget her love for him. At that point, the dream would then take a turn for the worst.

Initially, Akane had not been able to understand what was happening around her in her dream. For a couple of days, her dream had ended after a blinding light would surround her, and all she could hear was the mumbling of people she could not see. Days after that, her dream would repeat itself, but a new scene was added at the end where the mumbling would eventually stop, and she could hear someone calling her name. Every two days the dream would become longer and more confusing as new images added themselves to the end of the dream. The scene from three days ago, the same person that had called her name before would then call out for Ranma, but Ranma never responded.

Last night, however, her slumber had been cut short when the ending of the dream altered itself again. The light that had been surrounding her had had slowly lost its intensity, and she had been left in the dark for a long time. Eventually, a spotlight appeared on top of her, and after a loud noise, she found herself covered in blood. The sight of blood had not shocked her until she realized the blood did not belong to her. The spotlight had gotten wider, and in front of her, by her feet, laid a bloodied Ranma, his limbs bent completely out of shape making him look as a torn rag doll. His eyes were still open, but were devoid of the passion they usually burned with. She had fallen on her knees, afraid of touching him as if she could cause any more damage to his already broken body.

Tears trailed down her face, and she screamed in pain at his lifeless body. The worst of it all, however, had been the voice that had woken her up in the middle of the night. The same voice that had once comforted her by telling her everything would be better in the morning. The voice that had then told her everything would be over soon. The same voice that was now taunting her with the consequences of her own unknown mistake.

"_You caused this, child; he's dead because of you."_

She had not been able to watch any more. Her body had convulsed violently at the amount of tears and sobs that engulfed her. The fear of seeing those images again prevented her from sleeping the rest of the night. She did not think she could ever sleep again. Without anything to do, no one to talk to, and not being able to train, she had sat at the balcony since this morning after breakfast. Nightfall had arrived, and she remained in the same place, replaying the gruesome images in her head.

The balcony door slid open, startling her, allowing Ranma to walk onto the balcony. He sat on the edge of the rail he had just recently fixed, and alternated his eyes between the stars and Akane.

"These skies bring good memories to me," Ranma said to open the conversation he knew was going to turn into an argument very soon if he did not play his cards right.

"How was your day?" Akane asked him, oblivious to the true intentions of his visit to the balcony.

"Same ol'."

Akane gave a quick peek to her watch.

"You're late."

Ranma jumped off the rail and walked towards her, sitting on the floor next to her chair, but still staring at the skies.

"Tell me about it!" Ranma agreed as he nodded. "Emi is getting needier. It seems every time I think I'm ready to leave, she finds something else for me to do. The overtime is nice, but I don't think I can stand her any longer."

"Maybe I should stop by? Have a little girl talk with her?"

Ranma chuckled. "I don't wanna get fired for assault, 'kane."

"Technically, it wouldn't be you who assaults her."

Ranma shook his head. "Don't sweat it. I'm already looking for another job. Maybe find something that pays more for fewer hours. I've been away from home too long."

"Or you could just stop working altogether. You don't need to work."

"I do need to work, especially during the summer that I can put in more hours. It's nice to have your own funds, you know?"

Akane nodded. "Maybe I'm just jealous because I can't even eat my own food without some help."

Ranma stood up and lifted her off the chair so that he could sit on it, and laid Akane on his lap. He examined her arm and her wrist, frowning at the presence of the sling and the brace.

"Two more weeks and you can move around again, Akane. Just wait a little longer and you'll be better in no time."

Akane agreed by nodding her head, absentmindedly. Ranma pressed a hand onto her stomach and rubbed it from left to right. "Are you hungry?"

"No," she said almost too quickly.

Ranma sighed. "Akane, Kasumi told me you didn't have lunch or dinner. That ain't gonna help with your recovery."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's too bad cuz I'm starving but I won't eat unless you do."

"Whatever, Ranma. You not eating would be the end of the world."

Ranma shrugged. He expected her to defy him on this. "Well, we have a front row seat of the end of the world right here on the balcony, don't you think?"

Akane opened her mouth to retort to his smart-ass comment, but her voice left her when the image of a bleeding, dead Ranma appeared to her again. She closed her eyes and shook her head, hoping the images would disappear. Ranma took her actions as a sign of dizziness, so he pulled her closer to him, covering as much as he could of her with his arms.

"Let's not turn this into an argument, Akane. Please, have dinner with me."

Nodding slightly, she agreed to his request. He smiled in victory as he stretched his arm backwards and pulled a tray of food he had hidden behind the curtains of the balcony. Akane snorted at the sight, wondering how he had known he would convince her to eat.

"It's still warm. Wanna sit on the floor?"

Akane agreed, so he carefully lifted them both from the chair, placing them on the floor with the tray of food between them. Ranma took turns to feed her and his own self, as he excitedly talked about his day to her. Akane only opened her mouth to accept his food offerings, but did not comment on his adventures for the day. Once half of the food on the tray was gone, Akane told him she had had enough to eat for the day.

"OK, Akane, but none of this shit tomorrow, OK? How are we supposed to enjoy the summer together if you pass out on me because of an empty stomach, uh?"

"Ranma, the summer break is two months away."

"So? The better we take care of you now, the sooner we'll be hanging out together anywhere we want to, later."

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere."

Akane smiled at him, almost forgetting the images of his dead body on the ground. What the images could mean, she wondered, but not enough to invite a real-world glimpse of them. How could she possibly be the reason Ranma could die, perhaps soon? No, she could not be the reason for Ranma to die! Besides, Ranma was built like a rock, anyway. Nothing short of an extremely powerful deity could take him down. If Saffron had not been able to defeat him, why would anyone else be able to?

"Anyway," he said as he mistook her eye wandering for tiredness. "I'm gonna go shower, and you should go to bed. Even though you didn't do much today, tomorrow we're cranking up the therapy, so you better rest well."

Akane nodded to him, hoping he would not see her reluctance to heading to sleep. He helped her get up and carried her to her room and bed, silently enjoying the scent of her hair. He then returned to the balcony to retrieve the tray of food, and took it downstairs to Kasumi who was already waiting for it. Glad to see that Ranma had convinced her younger sister to eat, she took the tray from him and begun washing the bowls.

Ranma quickly returned to Akane, and saw her sitting on the edge of her bed. Unaware that she had no plans to sleep for the night, he grabbed her pajamas and helped her change into them. He then proceeded to tuck her in under the covers, and kissing her goodnight.

"Two more weeks and that brace and sling come off."

"And after that, one more month of me being a sack of potatoes around the house."

"Hot-looking sack of potatoes, Akane. Hot-looking sack of potatoes," he told her with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh, Ranma. Why do you do this? Try to cheer me up?"

"You know why," he said, bending down and kissing her. If he had known this was the last kiss he would receive from her, he would have made it last longer than it did.

Standing up, Ranma winked at Akane before leaving her room, closing the door behind him. He stood outside her door for a minute, as his own inner battle returned to him.

_"Your choice you have made," _he heard the voice remind him again. He had constantly reminded the annoying little voice that the choice he had made was his final one. However, after seeing Akane's broken, bloodied body on the ground at his feet in his dream last night, he was not sure if his choice had been the correct one. He feared he had inadvertently chosen Akane to die in lieu of him when he had thought he was choosing Akane over anything or anyone. Perhaps his mind was playing some outstandingly dirty tricks on him, and the tension of all the events that had happened to them in the past month were just adding to his already overly active imagination. He knew there was nothing he could do for now. He could only wait and see, and the wait was slowly killing him inside.

Reluctantly, he headed to the bathroom, hoping a warm bath would ease his fears. _"Can I change my choice?" _he thought to himself as he walked down the stairs.

_"Of course, you can," _the voice responded.

Ranma sighed. He knew he needed to rest. He was talking to a random voice in his head as if they were the best of friends, making choices of options he did not know about, or believed enough to investigate. After what felt like an eternity, he finally arrived at the furo. He made himself comfortable inside of it before his thoughts reversed back to the evasive meaning of his recurring nightmares.

_"I don't need to make a choice. I can keep Akane safe without having to choose anything a random voice says."_

_ "How can you keep her safe from what you cannot see?" _The voice retorted mocking his inability to understand what stood before him.

_ "I don't need to see, just feel."_

_ "Can you feel her heart beating slower? Can you feel her life being sucked away?"_

_ "No, she's fine. She will be fine."_

_ "Can you feel her warm blood in your hands?"_

_ "There is no blood, not hers, at least."_

_ "How can you be so certain? She didn't choose you, you know? Why should you choose her?"_

_ "She didn't choose me? Maybe I shouldn't choose her either. Maybe she knows better than I do. Maybe I should commit myself to an asylum for having a conversation with myself. Or maybe you're just a sick son of a bitch who has nothing better to do than mess with people's lives."_

_ "You know not with whom you speak. However, you will find out, soon. You will find out when your hands are stained with her blood."_

_ "SHUT UP!"_

_ "And then, you will have to choose. You will have no option but to choose. No option to save her; no option to keep her safe, just the option to choose."_

_ "To choose what?"_

_ "Soon, you will choose, soon."_

Ranma splashed water on his face, as if it were possible to wash away the images, the fear, and the confusion this voice caused within him. He could not give in to it. He could not believe it, but he could not ignore it, either. He could only listen, and hope that the true intentions of his vision would reveal themselves soon. A knock on the door startled him, pushing aside the visions and the voice.

"Ranma-kun, are you almost done there? I'd like to bathe sometime this century," an annoyed Nabiki yelled from the other side of the door. Nabiki heard noises coming from within the bathroom, which stopped when a towel-wrapped Ranma appeared in front of her.

"It's all yours."

"Thank you, Ranma-kun. I think I only aged five years instead of ten waiting for you to come out."

"Funny, you look as if you aged ten," Ranma responded to her. Nabiki wrinkled her nose. "Watch your mouth, Saotome, or you won't get that advance on your newly set annuity in time."

Ranma flinched. He could not let a small comment set back his plans. He was expecting the funds by the end of the school year so he could complete his secret idea. He had to make amends with her immediately.

"Oi, Nabiki-chan! What I meant to say was that you looked ten years younger!"

Nabiki chuckled, not amused at all by his lame attempt to fix his previous comment. However, the knowledge that she still had him eating from the palm of her hand was enough to accept his sad version of an apology.

"Good boy, Ranma-kun. I knew you wouldn't want to disappoint my little sister by not having her surprise ready in time."

"Never crossed my mind."

"Let's keep it that way, OK?"

Ranma nodded, hurrying his step to get as far away from Nabiki as he could. He sometimes could not stand the middle Tendo sister, but he needed her help for his plan to work. He knew Akane did not suspect a thing, and he wanted to keep it that way. He could hardly wait to see her face when he surprised her at the end of the school year. The next ten weeks would be the longest ones of his life.

His mind created possible reactions from Akane and happy situations coming from the surprise he had in mind until the voice made its appearance again.

_ "She will never see the day."_

_ "Fuck off," _was his final response to the voice he ignored for the rest of night.

* * *

**A/N:** OK, so now it gets weird. These last few chapters were the purpose of this fiction. I got too distracted with what happened in between, so it's time to pull it back together. Did anyone guess what the purpose of the voice is? Can anyone guess where the voices are coming from?


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Ranma sat on the roof above Akane's bedroom, replaying the events of the last week. He could not think of any reason why Akane would be acting the way she had been for the past few days. At first, he had attributed her attitude to lack of sleep she was experiencing or her growing impatience at being confined to her room. Tonight, however, he feared a more concrete reason was the origin of the growing distance between them.

Tonight, he knew _he_ himself had to be the reason why she was pulling away from everything and everyone. Tonight, Akane had done something she had never done in all the time they had known each other. Tonight, Akane had locked up the window and door of her room, effectively leaving him out of her space.

Kasumi had tried to have Akane open the door for her all day, to no avail. She had left trays of food at her doorstep, which she would pick up hours later, food untouched. Akane had somehow been able to escape her room to go to the bathroom and back, but no one had seen her since last night. The only evidence of her escapes was the sounds of her locking the door behind her as she returned to her room, no one even knowing when it had been opened. Nabiki had suggested taking down the door, but Kasumi had rejected the idea by stating Akane perhaps needed some time alone.

Soun had been all-tears throughout the day, wailing that his little girl had disowned him and thus was avoiding him. Nabiki and Kasumi had been able to drag their father from the house and had sent him to stay with Genma for a few days. Nodoka had also stopped by the Tendo home, but had been unsuccessful in making the younger sister talk. At that point, Kasumi had called Doctor Tofu and asked if Akane could be suffering from side effects of the injuries, but Ono had stated he doubted her recovering limb had anything to do with her actions.

When Ranma had arrived from school, a worried-looking Kasumi had smothered him, begging him to talk some sense into Akane. Nabiki had become tired of waiting, and had left the house to hang around some of her friends. Nodoka had restrained Soun to her home while Akane recovered from whatever she had. After Ranma promised Kasumi he would do what he could, Kasumi had left the home, stating it would be best if they were alone for a while.

Ranma's first attempt had been to knock at her door, but he got no response. His second attempt had been to knock on her window, but the lack of response in addition to the closed curtains gave him nothing to go off on. He waited for her to think the house had been left empty, hoping she would come out, but an hour into sitting on her roof, he realized it was not going to happen.

Ranma sighed, as he tried finding a more comfortable position on the rough shingles. He was blissfully unaware of the two spectators watching the scene unfold. The two short-statured beings stood on a cloud of their own making, allowing them to float around the Tendo home without the need to use their powers to levitate. Unmei and Shukumei, the demigods of Fate and Destiny, observed the fruit of their intervention in the life of the most amusing humans they had ever laid eyes upon.

"You know, those two are not as interesting by themselves. I told you granting that girl her wish was a mistake," Unmei stated to his partner before he added. "You wasted your powers on her, and you are not getting anything good in return."

"I did not want anything in return, Unmei," Shukumei said as he watched Ranma resume his attempt to enter Akane's room.

"Well, you are going to have to take from them something of equal or greater value to her wish. You know how the rules work."

Shukumei lowered his head in defeat. He knew that granting a wish to a human was allowed only in extreme cases, and only if the wish was put to good use by the grantee. Akane, however, had quickly undone the wish with her actions –and some assistance from Ranma, so the rules demanded the human was punished for belittling the gracious assistance of a deity wish grantor.

Sensing his companion's distress, Unmei sighed while patting Shukumei on his back. "You cannot say you have not tried to fix her mistake, her ungratefulness. The pig boy was almost successful at dating her, if only he had a better sense of direction and a thicker pair of gonads."

Shukumei scoffed. "Sure, we helped him make the correct turn but his intervention only made the couple stronger. And that man you suggested? Kami! I should have known better to use an affluent man to sweep the girl off her feet. From all the time we have been following their lives, we should have known the material is of no interest to her."

"Perhaps, but your attempts have been honorable ones, Shukumei. You are certainly not at fault for attempting to divert her from again falling in love with the pigtailed boy, thus keeping her away from her sentence. Yet, it cannot be helped. Those two are meant to be together."

"Until I intervened and set them on a path to be apart, forever."

"Well, it is just the way it is. Rules are rules, and it serves you to remember this before you blindly grant a volatile human another emotion-related wish."

"I am aware," Shukumei said in despondency. "Though, I was certain this was what she wanted. She seemed so convinced that her affections for the boy had brought upon her nothing but agony. I sincerely believed she was ready to turn over a new leaf."

"Your naivety surprises me. It has always been obvious their misunderstandings were the cause of their mutual pain. These two humans care for each other more than they themselves are aware or ever will be."

The demigods watched in silence as Ranma jumped from the roof and went inside the home. He was obviously tired of burning under the sun with no progress made. The pair followed Ranma inside the house while still floating on their cloud. They knew humans could not see them unless the demigods allowed them to. They watched as Ranma knocked on Akane's door again, begging for any kind of response. When no response was given, Ranma sighed and fell to his knees in front of the still closed door.

"I take it your nightmare plan has been working so far?"

Shukumei shrugged, not sure what to say. He was not proud of the great lengths he had to go to split up the couple, but to him anything was more honorable than allowing any of them to go through the punishment the gods had bestowed upon Shukumei to deliver to the humans. He had requested one last chance to make good of the wish, but he knew his superiors were running out of patience and would soon act behind his back. Realizing Unmei was still awaiting an answer to his question, Shukumei responded.

"The girl resisted for two weeks, but as you can see, she has begun to break down. The pigtailed boy…well, he is very resistant. He is adamant that no wrong can fall upon her if he has any saying on it."

"However, he does not."

"Sadly. Nevertheless, he refuses to believe so."

"What about the other girl? The one with the eatery?"

"The Amazon? She has left, remember?"

"No, the other one!"

"The brown-haired girl? Oh, she is slowly giving up on him."

"Not the okonomiyaki goddess! The new one!"

"Oh!" Shukumei said in realization. "The girl of the raw fish eating house? The pigtailed boy has no interest in her, we both know that."

"Indeed, we do. However, we all know how scaly human males are when their heart is in pain. With the proper motivation, he might fall prey of her advances."

"I do not know. The crazy jumping girl was pretty ostentatious in her advances as well, and she did not succeed."

"The Amazon?"

"No! The other one!"

"Oh! The wealthy girl with the mysterious ribbon?"

"Yes, that be the one of which I speak!" Shukumei said as he rubbed his temples. Keeping track of the partakers of their favorite reality soap opera was becoming difficult. "We should really learn their names, uh?" he finally said.

"Perhaps, but it seems that without the rest of the crew, and with the impending chastisement, we will not need to worry about learning the names anymore."

Shukumei nodded, saddened by the fact that his favorite humans –in this time period, were soon to be torn apart if he did not find a way to split the pigtailed boy and the moody girl for good. "You know, Unmei, if I am not able to prevent this tragedy from happening, I can say there is at least one person I will _not_ miss from this group."

"Let me guess! The currency-soaking wench with the short hair?"

"Precisely!"

Unmei laughed aloud. "Well, at least she is taking human's monies and not their souls. Remember that one, in the Edo time?"

"The priestess? Yes, indeed. The only fun thing about her was how she managed to control the inuyoukai at the snap of her fingers."

"That is, until the younger woman got used to the power of the magical necklace."

"Oh, so correct you are! Good memories with that group. I surely miss them."

"I miss the fact you pouted the entire time we followed them, and only because you were upset that the jewel had better wish granting powers than you. Come to think of it, you are a lousy wish master, Shukumei," Unmei said with a hint of humor in his voice. Shukumei's response was interrupted when Ranma began knocking on Akane's door again, this time loudly and nonstop.

"Akane! You don't have to open the damned door, just tell me you're alright, please!"

Ranma stood up from his place on the floor. He rested his forehead and fists on the door, exhaling deeply, trying to stop himself from breaking down the obstacle between his girlfriend and his sanity.

"What did we do to be treated like this by you, Akane? Who made you upset? Did I hurt you? Am I the reason why you won't talk to your family?"

Ranma pounded on the door, now tired of simple knocks. "Akane, you know I can take down this door in an instant. Please, just…just tell me you are alright."

Ranma felt his insides twist when a soft voice resonated from behind the closed door. He had hoped Akane would be irate enough to slam open the door and mallet him out of the house, showing she was alright. However, the tone of the statement made him even more uneasy than before.

"I'm alright, Ranma. Please, stop pounding on my door."

"I will if you eat something. How long do you think you can lock yourself in there? It's not healthy."

Akane did not respond to his invitation of an argument, making him even more upset. He growled as the last bit of his patience was lost. The two spectators could easily see the heightened, angered aura, pouring out of him in waves.

"I think we are about to witness a good fight. It has been a long time since we have seen one between these two," Unmei said, sounding excited at the possibility of a good show.

Ranma took a few steps back, grabbing the impulse needed to knock down the door. "Get away from the door, Akane. I'm going in!"

He waited all of three seconds before running towards the door with all his strength. Strength that was wasted when the door open on its own accord, sending Ranma slamming into the desk and chair at the far end of Akane's room.

Akane flinched when she saw her boyfriend hit the table with his face, straight on, without any attempt to stop himself. She walked up to him, helping him peel himself from the pile of broken wood that used to be her desk and chair. Once he was standing on his own two feet, Akane took a deep breath to scream at the impatient boy.

"Ranma Saotome! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ranma shook his head in a rapid motion to clear his thoughts. His anger was so intense that the moment he recovered his senses, he grabbed Akane by her forearms and shook her.

"What do you think you're doing, Akane? Do you think everyone's feelings are a game? You can't be doing this to us whenever you feel like pouting like a child!"

"Pouting like a child? Who do you think you are, pounding on my door as if you have the right to bother me when I want to be LEFT ALONE?"

"The right? I do have the fucking right! I'm your husband!"

Akane recoiled in surprise at his words. His eyes were still blinded by anger, making him unaware of the term he had used to describe himself.

Behind them, the two demigods frantically reviewed an endless book of notes, wildly turning the pages as they rapidly scanned the writing on them. "When did they wed? I do not recall seeing that in the profiles!"

"Oh, Kami! If they wed, the gods are going to smite them with no regard for mercy!"

A loud smacking noise made the two companions' heads snap up. Ranma's face had just been twisted to his right by Akane's open palm. Ranma's anger dissipated after her action. She hardly ever resorted to an old-fashioned slap in the face, and whenever she did, it surely snapped him back to reality in a whim.

He turned around to face her. Her cheeks were red and she was breathing heavily, as if the effort of slapping him had taken a toll on her. She had not eaten anything since last night, and while she lay on the bed it had not affected her as much as now that she was up and about. The last thing she had wanted was to argue with Ranma in such a state. She had decided to let him down slowly, perhaps even pushing him to end the relationship himself. Yet, here he was, knocking incessantly on her door and window, demanding to know about her wellbeing.

"You're NOT my husband, Ranma!"

"What?"

"You! You called yourself my husband! Don't count yourself that lucky, buster!"

"I did? I…you didn't have to hit me for it!" he said, his voice rising again as his shock turned back into anger. "We are engaged, have you forgotten? I can damn well call you my wife if I so wanted to!"

"Oh, Kami!" Shukumei uttered as he slapped himself on the face.

"Oi, Shukumei! Maybe you have been going about this all wrong! There is no need to add others into their lives in an attempt to lure them away from each other. All we have to do is put these two in a room, and let the pigtailed boy open his mouth!"

Akane's fist trembled in anger. She lifted her arm, and Ranma braced for another slap but she simply pointed to the door. "Get out!"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no?'"

"As in the opposite of yes. I'm not leaving until you tell me what is wrong with you!"

"NOTHING is wrong with me! I'm not the one _harassing_ people!"

"I'm _harassing_ you?"

"Yes!"

Ranma crossed his arms in front of his chest, feeling his old pride taking control of him. "So, you want me to leave your room, your house, or your life?"

Akane swallowed hard, knowing his current stance all too well. She had not seen a glimpse of the Ranma she remembered the most until now. She knew that whatever she said next would set the course of their relationship for days, weeks, to come. She stared at him up and down, sizing up how angry he truly was. The angrier he was, the easier it would be for her to push him away. She had decided she'd rather not have him in her life at all, than being responsible for whatever death threats her dreams were warning her of.

She turned away from his face, unable to face him with her response. Even though her face was drenched in her outstanding irritability, her eyes were filled with fear and love, and she knew he could read her like a book if he stared at them for too long. She stuck her nose in the air as she answered his question.

"Take your pick, Saotome. It means the same to me: nothing."

Ranma felt a knife cut through his heart, but kept his mask of coolness on his face. He stared at her the same way she had just sized him up just seconds ago. He had no idea why they were fighting, and no idea why she was mad at him. The way he saw it, he had two options: give in to her demands and walk away from her for a few days, or remain in her room and force feed her after he figured out why she was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

Feeling tired himself of the argument, the attempts at making her open the door, and knowing he had to head to work as next week was his last at Tanaka's, he opted for the former option.

"Fine. Have it your way,_ tomboy_. If me leaving makes you talk to your worried family, then so be it. Goodbye, Akane Tendo."

Ranma turned his back to her and walked towards the door. Akane took a step towards him, and Ranma noticed her movement, slowing his steps on purpose to allow her to reach him. When she stopped halfway after seeing the image of his dead body on the ground, she did not move any further. Ranma lost his hope that she would stop him, and finally exited her room. He closed the door behind him before heading to his room and gathering his belongings.

Before Akane could change her mind, Ranma left the Tendo residence, heading for his parents' home, pondering over what he had done to make Akane so upset. In his mind, they were still together, and he was willing to give Akane the space she needed to come to her senses. When Akane heard the front door close, she buckled under her own weight, sobbing as she hit the floor with her good hand.

"Oh, Ranma! I wish it wasn't this way!"

Unmei immediately turned to Shukumei with a stern look, seeing as the little demigod was already thinking of granting her wish to the human girl.

"None of that, again, Shukumei!"

Unmei's companion sighed deeply, remembering his intervention was the reason why Akane and Ranma could no longer be together. "Do you think the gods will spare them now?"

Unmei shrugged. "It is…difficult to tell. We will have to wait and see what happens next. I bet the pigtailed boy is already planning how to get her back."

"Ranma."

"What?"

Shukumei jumped off his cloud and gracefully landed next to Akane. Akane was splayed on the floor, her forehead touching the floor with every sob she made. He carefully placed his tiny hand on her head, brushing back her hair as he calmed her down.

"The pigtailed boy's name. His name is Ranma," Shukumei finally said, recalling their comment about learning their names. Once Akane's sobs ended, she began to fall asleep where she lay. Shukumei jumped back onto the cloud, guiding it out of the Tendo home.

"Where are we going now, Shukumei?"

"The girl –Akane, needs a friend. We are going to go bring him around."

"Him?" Unmei said as tilted his head. "I do not think Ranma's presence is appropriate at this very moment."

"Not Ranma."

"Then who?"

Shukumei did not respond, but speed up their little cloud. "Let us hurry. Who knows how long we have until he gets lost again."

Unmei nodded at his friend, understanding where they were headed. He looked back over his shoulder at the Tendo home, knowing Shukumei was sparing Akane from the dreams tonight. The girl needed to rest, and after everything they had put them through, Unmei was beginning to feel guilty about the entire ordeal.

"Shukumei?"

"Yes?"

"If this does not work to their advantage, have the gods given you the list to choose from?"

"They have," Shukumei said somberly. "Regardless of what I choose from the list for them, Akane is correct in her assumption that being apart but alive is better than being together and…"

Shukumei did not have to finish his sentence for Unmei to understand its meaning. He could only hope that the gods were merciful enough to grant them death rather than the items on the list he had been given to choose from for their punishment.

"Well," Unmei began, trying to lighten the mood, "at least this is not like the time you tried to help that burnt thief by granting his wish of becoming a demon during the Edo period. That surely backfired for everyone involved."

Shukumei poked his eyes with his fingers, trying to erase the memory of the chaos that wish had caused. For now, his focus was on finding the one person that could possibly help heal the blue haired girl's heart.

**A/N:** Soooo…I had a lot of fun writing these two little dudes. I have no idea what they look like, but they pushed themselves inside this story since the beginning, believe it or not. Did anyone catch the references to another anime? What do you think the list of punishment contains? Thank you for support; it never ceases to make me happy to read your comments, even if you disagree with what I write :) See you soon!


	27. Chapter 27

**-Chapter 27**

Akane walked down the street by herself, heading for Tofu's clinic to clear her from wearing the sling and the brace, just as he had promised. The original plan had been for Ranma to accompany her to every visit, but since last week when she kicked him out of the house, he had not set foot in her life, at all. She dragged her feet at what otherwise would have been a happy destination, knowing that her sling and brace coming off would serve no celebratory purpose now that Ranma was not around.

Missing him every second of the day was not enough to set her feet in motion with the direction of his home. She knew their separation was for the best when her nightmares immediately disappeared after she had showing him out the door and she had been able to sleep without unrelenting dreams. If her dreams were gone, it meant Ranma was safe; no longer with her, but safe nonetheless. It was beginning to dawn on her, that maybe the images of her wishing away her feelings were actually memories she had forgotten. Maybe she had seen the nightmares before, and had thus wished for her feelings to go away so that Ranma would not be hurt.

The memories, the nightmares, the voices, they all made so much sense now. She was not meant to be with Ranma, at least not in a romantic sense. She was determined that when the emotions of anger coming from him melted away, she would search for him, explain to him what she had seen, and make him understand why they were not meant to be. Given the circumstances, if his friendship was all she could get, she would gladly take it and be happy with it.

_"I stopped loving him once; I can do it again."_

Akane's thoughts drifted away when she heard the familiar calls of Sayuri and Yuka, waiving at her from afar. Her friends had invited themselves to her visit to the clinic, claiming they wanted to make sure Akane did not take off the sling and brace herself if the doctor did not approve of such just yet. Akane was glad to have someone with her during this visit, even though that someone was not her ex-boyfriend.

_"Ex…sounds so…final,"_ she thought, holding back tears.

Shaking the sad thoughts away, she waved back at her friends, picking up her pace until she met them at the entrance of the clinic. She gave her two friends a one-armed hug, putting on her best fake smile for them. She was not certain if Ranma had told anyone at school they were no longer an item, and she did not want to have to go to the process of explaining why they were no longer together.

In trying to put up a façade for her friends, Akane had almost –_almost_, missed the small black figure pressed against Sayuri's chest, wrapped around her thin arms. Akane's eyes narrowed, bending down to face the black piglet that was obviously uncomfortable at the situation. The piglet looked away from Akane, snorting the scents in the air in an attempt to determine if Akane was upset at him.

"Well, lookie who we have here," Akane said, carefully taking the piglet in her hands. "I thought I wouldn't see you again, _P-chan_."

"He was walking around school today, completely helpless and lost," Sayuri said as she adjusted P-chan's bandana. "We figured he was looking for you, so we decided to bring him over."

Akane resisted the natural urge to place P-chan between her breasts, opting to cradle him under her good arm. P-chan did not make an attempt to run away from her, and deep inside Akane was glad of such. She still had to clear things up with Ryouga, and then thank him for putting her shoulder back into place during her trip to the mountain.

"Let's not keep Doctor Tofu waiting, uh?" Akane finally said.

The two girls in front of Akane nodded. The three youngsters and the black piglet walked inside the clinic to find an already waiting and willing Ono inside. After about half an hour from arriving, Sayuri and Yuka left the clinic, stating they had to return to school for their own extracurricular activities. Akane thanked them for coming to see her, before thanking doctor Tofu as well. Feeling the freedom of being able to move her arm again, she ran out of the office, still holding P-chan in her arm. Once they were away from the clinic, Akane lifted P-chan in her hands so that it was staring down at her.

"Ryouga, where did you leave your clothes?"

P-chan shrugged before shaking his head. Akane figured as much that he could not return to the same location he lost his personal belongings, even if he wanted to.

"Let's take you home, OK?"

P-chan nodded, wiggling his way out of Akane's grip to jump down and walk on the ground, next to her. While he definitely enjoyed the ride in her arms, he was still not comfortable with meeting Akane in his cursed form now that she knew who he really was. He was even more uncomfortable at the fact that Akane was treating him as if nothing had ever happened, giving no indication of her true intentions of walking him to his home.

The walk to Ryouga's house was a quiet one, P-chan sticking as close as glue to Akane so that he would not get lost. He had not been to his home in a while, and was glad that Akane still remembered how to get there for him. Fifteen minutes later, Akane was picking up P-chan from the ground as they stood in front of the entrance of the Hibiki residence. P-chan pointed to the mat on the ground, encouraging Akane to lift it. When she did, she saw a key under it, which she quickly picked up.

Using the key, Akane opened the front gate, and the front door. P-chan jumped in front of Akane on the ground, preventing her from moving forward. He turned around, looking for a pebble. Once he found one, he threw it inside the hall with all his strength. As soon as the pebble hit the wooden floor, a twenty pound sack of rocks fell on the floor.

Akane took a step back, watching as the floor was dented by the weight of the trap. Ryouga gestured to Akane to stay behind before he ran inside the home, avoiding setting off any more traps until he disappeared around the corner. She waited at the entrance for a few minutes before Ryouga returned from his original destination, all dressed up and in his human form. He carefully exited the home and locked it behind him, standing in front of Akane at the porch. Akane stared at him up and down as he placed the key under the mat again, unsure of what to do or say. Thankfully for her, Ryouga took the first step by bowing down to Akane, thanking her for assisting him in returning home.

Akane bowed back, insisting it had been nothing but a thing, before standing up straight and staring at Ryouga's evasive eyes.

Ryouga became uncomfortable with the silence between them, so he began expressing what he had in mind.

"Akane, I'm deeply sorry for the deception I…"

Ryouga was unable to finish his apology. Akane's mallet had found its way out of its indefinable hiding place and onto Ryouga's expecting body. The punishment did not last long, and after a few shakes of his head, Ryouga was back to his normal self.

Hovering above the pair, a pouting Shukumei took a handful of gold coins out of his money pouch and handed them to a smiling Unmei. "I told you she was going to hit him."

"How about we leave it at that, Ryouga?" Akane finally said, referring to the incidents with P-chan, both unaware of their spectators.

Ryouga nodded, adjusting his clothing after the small encounter. He cleared his throat as Akane's suggestion sunk in. He knew he had gotten off easy, but he was not going to push the subject any more than he should.

"Are you thirsty? Hungry?" Ryouga asked her. "I'm sure there is something around here…if I can find the kitchen."

"Are all of your traps gone?" Akane asked worried about walking inside Ryouga's after seeing the "Welcome home" trap.

"Uhm…maybe…"

"Why don't we just go out? Let's go to Uc-chan's."

"Oh, sure!"

"Come on," Akane said as she grabbed Ryouga's hand and led him out of his home and to Ukyo's restaurant. Unmei and Shukumei followed the two closely until they heard Akane thanking Ryouga for helping her back at the mountain. Taking this move as a good step in the right direction to avoiding the gods' wrath, the two demigods decided not to follow the teenagers for the rest of the day.

Confident that their intervention would not be needed for the next twenty-four hours, they decided to return home for now. If only they had known what was in store for their favorite reality show characters, they would have definitely stayed behind. The gods were watching their every move, having seen the future, and they did not like what they saw. And what the gods did not like, they fixed.

xxxXXXxxx

"Welcome to Uc-chan's!"

"Hey, Ukyo-chan!"

"A-Akane? How are…Ryouga-kun?"

Ukyo's eyes immediately darted onto their holding hands for a second too long before she looked up and saw Akane pulling Ryouga to the bar. As soon as they sat, Akane released his hand, engaging in small talk with him as Ukyo headed their way.

"I'm starving Ukyo-chan," Akane said immediately after Ukyo joined them. "What can you make that won't take long?"

Ukyo pursed her lips, not returning the smile Akane was giving her. Akane found this to be strange, but disregarded it without more ado when Ukyo began cooking a shrimp okonomiyaki. As she prepared the food, Ukyo stole a quick glance at Ryouga before asking him what he wanted to eat.

"I'll have whatever Akane is having."

"Of course you would…" Ukyo mumbled under her breath, noting the lack of honorific attached to Akane's name.

"What was that?" Ryouga asked, leaning closer to Ukyo.

"I said, 'it's really good.' The shrimp okonomiyaki, I mean."

"Oh, yeah! Haven't had one since…" Ryouga did not finish his sentence, remembering the okonomiyaki he and Ranma had shared after Akane had fallen asleep due to the pain. Ryouga eyed Akane from the side remembering the event as if it had occurred the day before. While Ukyo noted the nervous looks he was giving the Tendo girl, Akane was more engrossed in staring at the news on TV.

"In a while," Ryouga finally finished his statement. Little did he know that Ukyo had taken his hesitancy as something more than just a slip of the tongue. Quickly finishing their orders, Ukyo deposited the still steaming okonomiyaki in front of them. The two teenagers wasted no time in digging in. It was then that Ukyo realized Akane was eating with her right hand.

"Your brace is gone, eh, Akane-chan?"

Akane smiled as she waved her right hand. "Hai! Now if I could only go back to school, I'd be good to go. I'm bored at home."

"Well, I'm sure Ryouga-kun here wouldn't mind keeping you company," Ukyo said in between gritted teeth.

Akane smiled as she placed a hand on his upper arm, making the poor boy freeze at the touch. She was still unaware of Ukyo's intentions, and how her innocent exchanges with Ryouga were being misinterpreted by the chef. "I'm sure Ryouga-kun has better things to do than to watch over me. I would hate it for him to miss out on his adventures."

"Oh, it's no problem, Akane. I surely wouldn't mind."

Akane shook her head. "Nah, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."

Ukyo remained silent as she observed the interactions between Akane and Ryouga with hushed anger. When Ranma had told her what had really happened on their trip, she had been blown away. Adding to it that Ranma had been the spitting image of the definition of a heartbroken man lately, she was having a difficult time being civilized to the woman in front of her. Here she was, smiling to a man who used his cursed to take advantage of her, while Ranma was suffering for her back at his home.

Ukyo growled inside when she saw Akane laugh at something Ryouga had said. She could not believe Akane and Ryouga were interacting as calmly as they were in front of her, as if nothing had ever happened, as if Ryouga had not seen her naked, or as if Akane had not stomped over Ranma's heart. Ukyo closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths.

In all honestly, what truly angered her most was the fact that she had been attempting to cheer up a moping Ranma for the past week, after learning of his and Akane's fight. Ukyo had assured him that Akane would soon come to her senses and take her argument-filled words back, but seeing her acting as if she had not broken her friend's heart, AND shamelessly _flirting_ with the man who had deceived her, was something she was having a difficult time tolerating.

Ukyo's thoughts of vengeance were interrupted when Akane waved her hand in front of her in an attempt to get her attention. Ukyo blinked rapidly, noticing that Ryouga was up and about, and heading to the door. "Thanks for the food, Ukyo-chan," Ryouga said as he left a few yen on her table. "Akane, I hope you fully recover soon. I'll see you around."

Akane smiled at Ryouga, waving him goodbye as he disappeared behind the door of the restaurant. The moment Akane returned her stare back to her friend she was met with Ukyo's intense stare.

"Are you OK, Ukyo-chan?"

"Not as good as you're doing, Akane-chan!"

Akane placed her chopsticks on the bar eyeing a very upset Ukyo as the cook went around the bar and stood a few feet away from Akane. Akane sighed as she looked at the floor, knowing where this conversation was headed.

"I guess he told you, ne?"

"You guess right! How could you be all happy-go-lucky after what you did to him?"

"It had to be done, Ukyo-chan. And I'm not happy…I'm just _grateful_ Ranma is safe."

"Safe? SAFE? How safe is it for him not to be himself because he's devastated, leaving him open for Kami knows what can happen to him?"

"Ukyo-chan, you don't understand…"

"No, I DON'T! Akane, this man…he…he gave up so many things for you! I thought you had a good thing going? I thought this was it? What the hell happened to you? And, please tell me you and Ryouga aren't…"

"Aren't what?"

"Well…did you already forget about Ranma?"

Akane shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this, Ukyo-chan."

"Well, tough shit!" Ukyo said, surprised at her own swearing.

"I can't. You…you wouldn't believe me."

"I don't think I have to believe you, but I think Ranma deserves to know if you have been playing him all along. If you don't want him, Akane, let him find someone who does."

Akane narrowed her eyes at the thought of Ranma being with someone else. She had been able to cope with her loss by staying home, away from him and from anything that reminded her of their time together. She thought she was going to be alright, and that moving on would be a piece of cake. However, being here with Ukyo, hearing her talk about Ranma moving on, loving someone else…she was no longer sure that she could go through with it.

"You can't have him," Akane said, her voice a threat, a demand.

"Maybe I can. You dumped him, so you don't want him."

"No…You. _Cant_. Have. Him." Akane said, her tone turning graver. She was fighting against losing her self-control. She had done what was needed. She had ended all ties with him, or so she had thought. Her nightmares were gone. The voices were gone. Everything was back to normal. He was going to be safe. However, she could not repress the feelings of jealousy Ukyo's words were causing her.

"Why did you break up with him?"

"That's none of your business."

"What pertains to Ran-chan is my business."

"I don't have to hear this," Akane said as she stood up, intending to leave the establishment. Ukyo had other plans, pulling her back to her seat in an instant.

"Let go of me, Ukyo-chan."

"Not until you tell me why you broke up with him! What was worth him being used by you?"

"I didn't use him!"

"Then why? Tell me so I can relay it to him and he can move on. He still thinks you will come around. He still thinks you can work it out."

"He…he does?" Akane asked, a ray of hope shining through her. Maybe Ranma would listen to what she had to say. Maybe he would understand and believe her. Maybe she was not completely insane.

"Regretfully so."

"But, he hasn't tried to see me. He hasn't even come by the house."

"You kicked him out, remember?"

"Yes, but I thought…"

"You thought he was going to beg you to stay? He may love you, but he still has his pride. Besides, he didn't want your family to suffer because of you acting like a brat!"

"I'm not acting like a brat! You sound just like him!"

"Your bratty attitude is common knowledge!"

"You would have done the same!"

"What? Walk all over him after he gave up his friends for you? I don't think so!"

"He didn't give up his friends! And I didn't step all over him!"

"Then what do you call making him get a job, do well in school, get rid of his other fiancées, only to break up with him for no real reason? No VALID reason?"

"There _is_ a valid reason, Ukyo-chan!"

"Then, what is it?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Then tell him!"

"He might not believe me!"

"Akane," Ukyo said, grabbing Akane by her shoulders, realizing she had somehow cornered the Tendo girl against the wall. "If you told Ranma that the sky is green, he would believe you. If you asked Ranma to jump of a cliff, he would do it. If anyone as much as looked like they would want to cause you any pain, he would not stop until he knew you were safe.

I don't know what you did to him, or why he loves you so _fucking_ much, but there are women out there who would die to have a man care for them as much as he does for you. Did you know he hasn't slept in days? He hardly eats? He has been falling asleep in school! He got hit by a baseball in class! He has a bruise the size of Okinawa on his face because of it. Whatever game you're playing, stop. He doesn't deserve it. He's suffered enough in just a few days."

The continuation of Ukyo's speech turned into a whisper as she felt Akane's shoulders shake. Ukyo looked up to see Akane's face covered in tears. Her sobs were so loud, the patrons around them had begun to stare even more intently than before. Ukyo faked a smile for her clients before dragging Akane to the back of the room, away from prying eyes and wary customers.

As soon as Ukyo closed the door behind her, Akane fell to her knees, sobbing and asking for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, Ukyo-chan! I didn't mean to hurt him…and…and…is he OK? Does he hate me?"

Ukyo exhaled as she knelt next to Akane. Ukyo massaged her temples, trying her best not to slap Akane back to her senses. Akane took the moment to breathe in and out, aiming to calm herself, drying her tears with the back of her hands as she did so.

"I need to see him," Akane said.

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"What? Why not?"

"Not like this, you should. It'll just send him over the edge."

"Over the edge, why?"

"Because you look like hell; it'll just remind him of his dreams."

"Dreams?"

Ukyo stood up and walked to the fridge, took out two bottles of water, and returned to where Akane still laid on the floor. Akane grabbed the bottle Ukyo offered her, quickly drinking half of the contents on the first sip. Ukyo took a mouthful of her own bottle before nodding to Akane and explaining what she meant.

"Ranma told me a few days ago that he'd been having these weird dreams about you. He said they stopped when you broke up with him."

"What kind of dreams?" Akane asked, already knowing the answer but having the need to confirm her suspicions.

"He didn't say much, just about you getting hurt. He goes pale when I ask him to tell me in detail."

Akane dropped her bottle, spilling the rest of the water on the floor. "I'm sorry, Ukyo-chan…I'll clean it up," Akane said as she got up, shaking from the shock of the revelation. She almost slipped from the wet spot on the floor, but Ukyo grabbed her and steadied her.

"Akane-chan, are you OK?"

"Yes, I…Kami, I can't stop shaking."

"Here, sit down," Ukyo said as she helped Akane sit to the closest chair.

Akane thanked Ukyo for her assistance. Akane sat sideways on the chair, allowing her hands to hold onto the rails of the back of the chair. She took deep breaths and held onto the rails until her knuckles turned white. Ukyo went about cleaning up the mess before she heard Konatsu calling her for help in the restaurant. Akane nodded to Ukyo, knowing she had to take care of her business. Ukyo told Akane she would be right back to continue their conversation.

As soon as Ukyo left her alone, Akane closed her eyes and growled as silently as she could. The mix of feelings she was experiencing was overwhelming, exhausting, and exhilarating at the same time. She felt stupid for not sharing her fears with Ranma; she should have known to trust him to support her. She felt tired of the obstacles that were placed between them; all she wanted was to be with him, and if Ukyo's reaction was a good indicator, Ranma wanted to be with her, as well.

She also felt anger; anger at whomever or whatever was playing these silly games with them. Someone, somewhere did not want them together, and had concocted a plan to make sure the two were apart. The reasons or possible cause still evaded her, but she did not need to know why anyone wanted them separated; all she wanted to know was who it was so she could proceed to hand their asses back to them after she was done beating them to within an inch of their life.

After everything they had gone through, all the sacrifices, it just was not fair for them to end up living their lives wondering what they could have had together. No, she was not going to let this beat her, beat him, beat them. While there was no doubt that whoever wanted them splitting up could very well resort to injury, she knew that between her and Ranma, no one would lay a hand on them. He would not allow anyone to harm her, and she knew she would not allow anyone to wound him either.

She knew Ranma was at work this very moment, and today was his last day at Tanaka's as he had finally resigned, Kasumi had informed her. After the way things had turned out between them, she was not sure how Ranma would react if she were to walk into the sushi bar, unannounced. Perhaps she would wait until his shift was over, and wait for him outside. However, before she could even show up at his doorstep, she had to talk to Ukyo, clear things up between them as well. Perhaps, after Ukyo realized what had driven Akane to break up with Ranma, she would be kind enough to assist her with her attempts at getting Ranma back.

* * *

**A/N:** I see the end is near! I'm hoping to wrap up this story by chapter 30, which means the chapters may be longer than the rest. Or, I may go for shorter chapters, and push it to 35 chapters. We'll see where the characters take me. For those who are upset at Unmei and Shukumei's interventions, and see no way out of this for our favorite couple: remember, the night is darkest just before the dawn.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The faithful patrons at Tanaka's had finally begun leaving the bar for the day when they saw the _cleaning pigtailed boy_ gathering his bucket and cleaning supplies as he readied for his duties. With the newly introduced _Special Thursday's_ deal, the bar had seemed to attract most of the sushi-loving drunkards living in Nerima. For Ranma, this meant the bar was left in total disarray and his last day had been extended by at least an hour to make sure the locale was sparking clean for the next day.

Recently, he had been putting in a lot of hours at work to distract himself from the chaos his personal life was in. This past week, he had scrubbed the floors until his fingertips were raw, as well as wrung the mop until the fibers had begun to fall apart. It felt to him as if he was streaking away his grief with every wipe of the mop, and every swept of the broom. However, his victory lasted only as long as it took him to step out of the bar. As soon as his feet hit the sidewalk, the thought of going home to his parents, and not to Akane, undid any healing his job had accomplished for the day.

Today was no exception as it marked the week anniversary of he and Akane's argument. He was still unsure why he had just walked away without a fight; it seemed so unlike his new self; the self that was dedicated to making his relationship work. Then again, Akane ending their relationship without a second thought was also unlike the new Akane he had learned to know. While the old Akane would have dropped their relationship without a doubt, the new Akane, the one he had learned to love all over again, would have thought things through. When the nightmares and voices in his head had ceased after their breakup, Ranma could not help but wonder if unearthly forces had been behind the split up.

_"The gods want us apart. Yeah, right!"_

As the days went by, he recalled the feelings that invaded him while in Akane's room. He had thought his disproportionate outburst was due to him waiting for her to open up to him for hours and having to resort to almost breaking her door. However, recently he had begun to wonder if someone had been playing with their emotions, placing a wall between them as they yelled at each other until their throats went raw. He had been so sure of his decision to walk away from her that he had even almost cancelled his plans for the summer. Yet, he did not find it in him to pick up the phone and call Nabiki to call off his plans.

_"Maybe we can still make it work."_

Ranma observed as, one by one, the customers of Tanaka's left, leaving handsome tips on the tables. He then saw as Emi went around the tables, picking up the tips and deposited them inside the jar at the counter, arriving at the bar just in time to pick up the ringing phone. Her brows furrowed as the caller requested to speak with Ranma, and the fact the caller was a girl irritated the daughter of the owner even more.

"Ranma-kun, it's for you," Emi said as she extended the phone to him. Ranma walked towards the bar and grabbed the phone from Emi, thanking her with a nod of his head.

"Moshi, moshi, Ranma-Saotome speaking."

_"Hey, Ranma-kun, we ran that errand you requested from us_," the girl at the other end of the line said.

"Oh? And? How is she?"

_ "Doctor Tofu cleared her from the brace and the sling."_

"I see. Any other instructions?"

_"To continue the exercises, and slowly starting to use her arm at full motion."_

"Any new medications?"

_"No, just some herbal patches for her shoulder in case she overdoes her therapy. He reduced the therapy frequency to only twice a week."_

"Good to hear! Anything else? Did she go home?"

_ "Nothing else. We don't think she went home; we called her before we called you and her sister said she had not arrived home yet since she left for the clinic."_

"When did you guys leave?" He asked with a frown.

_"At around 3, I think."_

Ranma looked behind him to stare at the time on the only clock at Tanaka's. The sun was almost completely down, and the clock was ticking close to hitting the 8 o'clock mark. Hearing Ranma's worrisome silence, the girl on the other end of the line continued to speak.

_"Don't worry, Ranma-kun. We think she's probably walking around with P-chan."_

Ranma closed his eyes. "P-chan?"

_"Hai! We happened to pick him up at school. Akane took him with her to wherever she is right now. She's probably out and about enjoying her sling/brace free day."_

"I'm sure that's what it is," Ranma said, unconvinced as pinched the bridge of his nose, but hoping that Ryouga was at least watching out for her. "Well, thank you for getting back to me, Sayuri-chan. It means a lot."

_"No worries, Ranma-kun. And we're sorry about the whole Orochi-kun thing. I hope there aren't any hard feelings between us anymore."_

"Not at all. Thank you again."

_"You're welcome, Ranma-kun. See you tomorrow!"_

"Bye," Ranma said as he placed the phone back on the receiver, not at all missing the intrigued look on Emi's face. Choosing to ignore the pushy girl, he walked back to his bucket, grabbed a rag and a spray bottle of chlorine, and began wiping the tables clean. Emi returned to the bar after locking up the entrance door behind her. She usually would not lock it up all the way until Ranma left, but tonight was her last opportunity to try and win Ranma's attention.

_"I would never forgive myself if I let this hunk slip away without even stealing a kiss from him!"_

She waited until Ranma had his back turned to her to quietly turn off the A/C. She knew this place became a sauna with no ventilation; a sauna that would surely cause the working boy in front of her to want to take off his shirt. She smiled to herself as she took out the cash drawer and began to do the accounting for the night.

Ranma stole a glance at the red-haired girl behind him, wondering what had taken over her to want to stay behind and close the register for the night. She would usually try to make small talk with him, and when it proved unsuccessful, she would eventually give up, lock the register and walk away, leaving him to lock the door when he left. Shrugging it off as perhaps a new phase for Emi, he returned to his cleaning duties.

Emi took advantage of the cover of the bar to slip off her shoes, leaving them at the corner of the bar behind the counter. She took her time counting the day's earnings while she watched Ranma's every move as a predator watching its prey. Once she finished counting the higher bills on the counter, she cleared her voice before addressing Ranma.

"So, Sayuri, uh? I thought your girlfriend's name was Akane?"

Ranma widely rolled his eyes, taking advantage he was giving his back to her. It had taken longer than he thought, but he had expected Emi to question the reason for the phone call, as well as the identity of the caller. Ranma had never had anyone call him at work before. In fact, the only two people that he had trusted with the phone number of his work place had been Kasumi and Nodoka, who he had instructed to call him only in case of an emergency. He had also instructed Kasumi not to have Akane call him at work, simply stating the girl he worked with was crazy and he wanted to keep her away from meeting his fiancée.

"Sayuri is Akane's friend."

"Oh?" Emi said as she carefully changed the settings of the phone to silent. If this Sayuri person had called him at work already, who was to say that Akane would not call him as well? It seemed a good idea to mute the phone and prevent unwanted distractions. It was his last day, after all, so she did not put it past her rival to try and spoil her last day with him. Even though Ranma had never said anything about Akane other than her name and a couple other bits of irrelevant information regarding her, Emi knew that this Akane person had him wrapped around her finger by the way he had spoken of her.

_"Drastic situations call for drastic measures,"_ Emi thought.

"Her friend, uh? Boy, Ranma-kun! You didn't strike as a threesome kind of guy."

Ranma slipped and tripped on his bucket at Emi's suggestion. The bucket got caught in his feet, sending him sprawling towards the closest table. His nose met the table, full force, immediately releasing bouts of blood from inside.

"Oh, shit!" He heard her say.

Emi ran towards Ranma and helped him stand up. The bucket had spilled its contents on the floor, causing the lower deck of the bar to become partially flooded. The blood had already stained Ranma's shirt, so he took it off to cover his nose. No sense in staining anything else with his fluids. Emi ran to the back of the restaurant, and returned with the first aid kit. She took out a wipe drenched in alcohol and proceeded to clean Ranma's face, neck and hands.

"Ranma-kun, are you alright?"

Ranma nodded, happy to see the blood flow was slowing down. "I've had worse. Thanks," he said as Emi took the stained shirt from him, claiming she would soak it up to prevent the stain from settling in.

She then removed her hands from him, threw the bloodied wipe in the nearest trashcan, and ran to the back of the restaurant to return the first aid kit to the restroom. Ranma touched his nose with his hands several times to make sure the bleeding had stopped, and to make sure it was not broken. Satisfied that he was going to be alright, he then realized he now had to mop back the water inside the bucket from the lower deck.

_"Great! Another delay!"_

Emi returned to the front of the restaurant, and stood on the upper deck, watching Ranma beginning to mop up the water from the floor. "Do you need help, Ranma-kun?"

"Nah, I'm alright," Ranma said as he looked up to her. It was then he noticed she had taken off her pants and was now wearing a pair of extremely short shorts, that if Ranma did not know any better, would double as a woman's style boxer panties. When Ranma looked up at Emi with a questioning look, she shrugged.

"The bottom of my pants got wet from the flood," she said pointing at the water Ranma was mopping up. "Are you sure you are alright? Your pants are wet, too."

Ranma turned back to his task and nodded, avoiding any eye contact with Emi. He knew he had seen other women in far less clothing, but he just could not get comfortable with the idea of _this_ particular woman partially stripping in front of him. He knew what she was trying to do, as he had done similar actions in the past in his girl form. The only difference was that Emi was not trying to coax Ryouga into giving her the map to the Nannichuan, or Kuno into buying her what she wanted. Emi was trying to get something that was more of a sultry nature out of him, and he was sure she would not hold back this time.

Emi walked back to the counter and continued her cash counting as she watched Ranma exert himself in trying to get rid of the extra water on the lower deck. She could feel the heat starting to gather inside the establishment with the lack of circulating air and the turned off A/C. She could also see that Ranma had begun to constantly attempt to dry his forehead with the back of his arm. After a few minutes, his undershirt was drenched in sweat, sticking to his body like glue. The shirt made it difficult to move as it pulled to his body when he tried to bend down to mop. He sighed loudly as he pulled the shirt away from him, staring at how transparent it had become.

"Is it hot in here?"

Emi tilted her head, pretending not to understand what he was referring to. "No, Ranma-kun. I'm fine. It must be all that extra work you are doing."

_"Fuck,"_ he thought, trying his best to continue working while still wearing the overly sticky undershirt. After a few moments of trying to speed up his task so that he could leave, and failing miserably, he grunted as he took off his undershirt, leaving his upper body exposed to the elements.

Emi bit her lip at the sight. She had imaged Ranma was well-built under the saggy clothes he wore, being that he was a martial artist and all, but she never imagined he was so muscular. Her eyes traced every muscle in his body as they worked together as a well-oiled machine to get the job done. She imaged her lips kissing every part of him. Her hands burned in anticipation of touching his skin. His skin that was probably already hot to the touch due to the work he was trying his best to complete as fast as he could, making it even more tempting for her to walk up to him and pull him down for a kiss.

Ranma felt a chill run down his spine, similar to those he felt when Happosai tiptoed behind him to splash cold water on him. It was the feeling of lust crawling up to him, lust that he did not reciprocate at all; lust that did not belong to or was aimed at Akane.

_"Akane."_

He allowed his mind to drift away from the chores that ailed him, sending him to a world where Akane waited for him. The stars above them in the dark sky provided the exact amount of light he needed to see her naked body in front of his. His eyes wandered around her womanly curves, glistening in the dark as if providing a beacon he was to follow to get near her. Her hair blew in the wind, partially covering her chocolate eyes. The eyes he could lose himself in, the eyes that could stop him in his tracks.

His eyes then traveled down to her parted lips, slowly and lowly uttering his name, asking him to not be away from her for much longer. She wet her lips with her tongue, causing his taste buds to salivate remembering her taste. She began walking towards him, swaying her hips left and right with each step she took. Ranma took a step of his own, calling her name when she ran her hand over her exposed breasts and moaned his name.

After a few steps, he finally reached her, completely forgetting how he arrived back at the mountain's hot spring, or where he had been before. Was he dreaming? Was he hallucinating? He did not know. All he knew was that his girl sat on the edge of the boulder at the spring, legs parted to welcome him between her, and he was not going to make her wait for him anymore.

He walked up to her, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. He then flipped his hand so that he could grab her neck, bending it back slightly and covered it with his fervent lips. Her positive response to his neck sucking incited him to push himself closer to her, rubbing his manhood on her thighs. After using his other arm to pull her closer to him and press her chest against his own, he closed any distance between them by joining their lips.

He kissed her softly at first, but then more passionately as her hands began exploring his body. Her tongue found its way inside his mouth, and he eagerly joined the war with her tongue. Her hands ran down his chest to his pants, and she began pulling on the thin string that held them together.

"Oh, Ranma-kun, I'm ready for you."

Ranma kissed her once more before he realized something was out of place. Firstly, Akane had never bothered to use any type of honorific on him other than the one time they had bumped into each other at the door in school. Secondly, the voice did not sound at all like Akane's, and thirdly…

_"Wasn't I moping Tanaka's floors?!"_

Ranma's eyes snapped open and saw that he was back at the restaurant. The mop had been abandoned at some point and rested on the floor of the lower deck. He now stood in front of a table surrounded by Emi's legs as she sat on the same table. Her top had been removed and it hung from his hand. He shrieked as he threw it on the floor as it was poisonous or on fire before he looked up and saw Emi smiling up at him.

"What's wrong Ranma-kun? Do you need help?" she said as she slid her hand inside his pants and stroke his manhood. He tried to push himself away from her, but she locked her legs around him, bringing him down onto her when she pulled him back towards the table. Ranma's arms flew in front of himself as he placed his hands firmly on either side of her to keep them from falling from the easily-swayed table.

Ranma's face ended up on Emi's right side, forcing Emi to face to her left and see the uninvited guest watching them from the window. The door had been locked and thus could not be easily opened without the keys, but the blinds of the wide window had not been closed, so the girl standing outside had a front-row seat of the show happening inside the bar. Mistaking the girl for a customer, Emi yelped as she pushed Ranma off her and tried to cover herself from the peeping girl.

"Dammit! Someone's seen us! They're so gonna tell my dad!"

Ranma recovered his footing, and looked at the now empty window, wondering what had made the previously determined Emi stop her act.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? And who saw us?"

Emi jumped off the table and grabbed her shirt, putting it back on in an instant. "What do you mean what do I think I'm doing? You're the one ready to pounce me!"

"I…" Ranma looked down at his still partially opened pants. He grumbled as he pulled on the string to close them before running his fingers through his messy hair.

"I thought you were someone else, OK? I'm sorry this happened; it shouldn't have happened at all."

"What? You thought I was Akane, didn't you? I heard you say her name."

Ranma did not respond as he walked to the front door and tried to open it. Emi saw him pull the door a few times until he finally gave up and looked back at her, demanding with his eyes that she opened the door for him.

"You're staying right where you are. The customer is probably gonna call my dad, and I'm not going to face him by myself."

"What customer?"

"The one that saw us just now! Didn't you hear me the first time? She looked pretty shocked so I'm certain my dad is hauling ass over here."

Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed Ranma's mind. "What…what did she look like?"

"Why? Were you expecting someone?"

"No," he said.

"I didn't get to see all of her but she was short with short hair…looked blue, I think."

Ranma's heart sped up, fearing he knew the identity of the _customer _that had seen them making out.

"Which direction did she go?"

Emi smirked. If she did not know any better, she would swear that this girl who had seen them in action had been none other than Ranma's girlfriend. Tapping her cheek with her index finger as if remembering, Emi looked up at the ceiling. She then purposefully pointed at the opposite direction where the girl had taken off to.

Ranma did not remove his eyes from the direction Emi pointed at as he extended his arm towards her. "Give me the keys."

"What? No! I already told you we're facing my daddy together."

"I don't have time for this. Give me the keys."

"No."

Ranma growled as he turned back to face Emi, a look of anger on his features that she had never seen on him before. "I'm not gonna ask you again. Either give me the keys or say goodbye to your door."

Emi scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips, clearly refusing to give in to Ranma's demands. Seeing she was unwilling to cooperate, Ranma shrugged to her before facing the door. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the obstacle in front of him.

"Keep the check, bitch," he said before jumping in the air, and roundhouse kicking the door open. When he landed back on his feet, Ranma ran out of the bar and ran non-stop in the direction Emi had provided. Emi watched as the bent door finally gave in under its weight and collapsed on the sidewalk.

Sighing loudly, she ripped her clothes, scratched her skin, and pulled her hair as she walked up to the phone. She picked it up, dialed the emergency number and cried on the phone. "HELP! I've been robbed! Please HELP!"

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma had run around every place Akane could have gone in and hidden herself. He checked the park, the school, her friends' homes, the canal, and even Doctor Tofu's clinic –unbeknownst to the absent doctor. After a couple of hours of wandering, he had finally given up and had gone home to change. He was glad to see that his parents were not home, giving him the peace and quiet he needed to shower and put on clean clothes.

"I oughta burn these!" he said as he stared at the clothes that had Emi's scent. He punched his cheek several times, as he recalled how he had almost…and with Emi…

"_What the fuck was I thinking? How the hell did I get so lost in a…hallucination?"_

He had prayed the entire time that during his search that he was mistaken and that Akane had not been the one standing outside the restaurant, watching him and Emi make out. He had no idea how to recover from it if she did. What was he supposed to say? He could almost hear the ludicrous argument in his mind.

"_Oh, yeah! About that, Akane! I thought Emi, who looks, sounds and acts nothing like you, was actually you! So yeah, I was gonna make love to her because she looked just like you for about ten seconds. You understand, right?"_

Ranma growled aloud as he hit his forehead on the bathroom door. Of course it had been Akane who saw them? Why would it not? This was his sick and twisted life, after all, and things never went his way. He knew very few girls with short blue hair in Nerima, and only one that would stop by Tanaka's tonight.

"_Yup, Akane. My girl, yeah. Pretty fucking funny, sure!"_

Once he was done cleaning up, he escaped his home through his room's only window, just as he had come inside his room in the first place, trying his best avoid his parents' return through the front door, if it happened. If he had walked inside his home through the front door, he would have seen the note left for him by the phone in the entry hall.

Watching his every move, and watching every corner he took, he finally reached the Tendo home. He jumped on the roof of the dojo before landing on the ground with ease. He peeked inside the dojo expecting to see a ranting Akane Tendo, but the dojo did not show signs of being used in days. He returned to his search for the girl by jumping on the roof of the home, and hanging on the edge of the gutters to knock on Akane's window.

He knocked a few times but got no response. He called Akane's name, but the response was the same. He decided to risk it and go inside without permission, hoping to at least get beat up in the process by no one other than Akane herself. Luckily for him, the window was unlocked. He slid open the window and jumped inside the room he had not set foot in for a week. Memories of their fight flooded back to him, but he shook his head to make them go away for now.

"Akane? It's me, Ranma. Are you here?" he whispered.

The sound of silence responded to him. He slowly walked to the light switch and flipped it to the on position. When the light flooded the room, he realized nobody was inside. He walked up to the closet doors, hoping Akane was hiding there, but she was not. Ranma clenched his fists in desperation as he ventured outside her room.

"Kasumi-chan? Nabiki-chan? Uncle Soun?" he called as he walked down the halls, knocking on doors before opening them and finding the rooms empty. He finally walked downstairs and saw messages written on small papers stating Nabiki had gone out with her friends. He figured that perhaps Kasumi had finally gone out with Ono since he had not been home either, and Soun was hanging out with his dad at some bar.

Ranma shuddered at the mention of the word 'bar.' He did not want to set foot in a bar, especially a sushi bar, ever again. What had possessed him to give Emi what she wanted? How could he had forgotten that he was working and not at the mountain with Akane? He just knew that Akane had been the mysterious customer Emi had seen. Maybe she had stopped by to talk to him, patch things up. But now, after the things she had seen, he doubted she wanted to even stand in the same room as he.

He picked up the phone and dialed to his house. He intended to spend the night at the Tendo's and wait for Akane to return, but he knew he had to let his parents know where he was. The phone rang several times before Ranma realized no one was home yet, forcing him to hang up. It was then he realized it was unusual for his mom to not be home so late at night.

_"I shoulda left a note when I was there,"_ he thought. Then again, how was he supposed to know that he would not find Akane in her room? It had been several hours since she had run off on him at Tanaka's, she should be home by now. That is unless…

_"Did she run away? Kami! I hope not!_

He rubbed his hands over his face as he made his way to the living room, propping himself on the floor. If he was ever to talk to Akane and explain things to her, it had to be as soon as possible; as soon as she walked inside her home. He knew she would return home soon, so he decided to make camp in the Tendo's living room and wait.

The wait ended when exhaustion took over him, and the side of his face unceremoniously hit the dinning table. Ranma's slumber would continue until a voice would wake him up the next morning, questioning his presence at the Tendo home. For now, his snores were the only sound echoing from the walls; his snores, and the satisfied laughter of the gods for a job well done.

* * *

**A/N:** So, who knows what the gods have in store for them? Any ideas?


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Ranma-kun?"

Ranma grumbled.

"Ranma-kun? It's me…"

"Is it time to go to school, mom?"

"Ranma-kun, wake up."

Ranma opened one eye, expecting to see the wall in his room. He instead saw the garden at the Tendo home.

_"What the…?"_

He opened his other eye and lifted his head, scratching his eyes as he did so. He pulled his body off the table, and his back complained at the movement.

"Ohhh…my back!"

"Did you sleep there all night, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma shook his head and blinked away the morning tears. As he found his footing and began to stand up, the memories of last night came crashing down on him. He saw himself working at Tanaka's, then making out with Emi, and then finding out that Akane had possibly seen them.

"Akane!"

Ranma turned around to face Kasumi, who was still standing next to him after her attempt to wake him up. "Ranma-kun, sit down, please."

"No! Wait! Is Akane back?" Ranma said as he ran towards the bottom of the stairs. "Is she up in her room?"

Kasumi shook her head.

"Don't tell me she's missing? I'll help you look! I need to talk to her!"

"She's not missing."

Ranma was taken aback.

"Is she staying somewhere else?"

"You can say that."

"Why? Is she mad at me?"

"Should she be mad at you?" Kasumi retorted.

"Uh…" Ranma looked down, unsure how to respond to Kasumi's seemingly innocent question. Of course Akane had every right to be mad at him! But, how was he supposed to explain to Kasumi that her little sister had seen him kissing another girl? He did not want to lie to Kasumi, but it seemed as if Kasumi had a secret of her own.

"Where have you been, Kasumi-chan? Did you just get here?"

Kasumi nodded. "I take it you haven't gone home?"

"No, I did, but just to shower before coming here."

"Did you read the note?"

"What note?"

Kasumi sighed, her head low. She waved at Ranma to walk back to the living room as she sat on the floor herself. Ranma stood at the entrance, his legs wanting to take him wherever Akane was, but it was Kasumi's face that finally forced him to sit down next to her.

"What is it, Kasumi? Akane is pissed off at me, isn't she?"

Kasumi shook her head. "That's not important right now, Ranma-kun. Something's happened to Akane."

Ranma swallowed hard as his head turned to the door when he heard it rattling and it opened. A very tired-looking Nabiki walked inside, holding up an even more tired-looking Soun in her arms. Nabiki gave him a look he could not quite place before she returned to her task of taking Soun to his room.

"The sedatives are kicking in, Kasumi-chan," Nabiki said. "He'll be out of it for hours. Do you need anything else?"

"No, Nabiki-chan, thank you. Are you going to school today?"

"Yeah, but only to tell them what happened."

"What happened?" Ranma asked, now irritated at the secrecy around him.

Nabiki sighed, readjusting her father in her arms before she made the final push to his room. "I'll be in my room, o-nee-chan."

Nabiki and Soun disappeared from sight, only to be followed by Genma. Ranma immediately stood up when he saw his father walk inside the home, looking no better than Soun. "Dad?"

"Ranma? What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Akane."

Genma opened his mouth but closed it when Kasumi shook her head at him. Ranma stood between his father and Kasumi, staring back and forth between them, waiting for any of them to say anything about why they were acting so somber and mysterious.

"Is anyone gonna tell me what the hell is going on? What happened to Akane?"

"My boy, we tried looking for you when it happened, but we couldn't find you."

"When _what_ happened?"

"It just happened so fast, Ranma-kun. One moment we're on the phone with the police and next…"

"Police?"

Ranma felt his head spin. Why would they be on the phone with the police? Was Akane arrested? Did she go to the police to report him and Emi? But, the police were not searching for him, were they?

"Can someone please tell me what happened to her?"

"Ranma, it will be best if you sit down…"

"NO! JUST TELL ME! What happened?! Is she…is she…dead?"

"No…"

Ranma sighed in relief.

"Not yet."

Ranma's eyes widened at Kasumi correcting herself. He took a few steps back, only stopping when the wall hit his back. He could already feel the tears forming in his eyes, and his heart pounded loudly in his temples.

"W-wh-at?"

"Son, when was the last time you spoke to Akane?"

"Last…week," he responded, not sure where the conversation was going. He closed his eyes to blink back the tears, and rested his open palms on the wall behind him for added support. He knew his legs were about to give up at any time.

"Ranma-kun, last night, Akane had an accident. She was hit by a delivery truck on her way home. We…we thought you knew…"

Ranma felt his body and his mind disconnect from each other. He could hear Kasumi speaking to him, but her voice sounded distorted and far away. His overactive mind sent him blurry images of Akane on the ground, broken body and bleeding. His dream, he had seen it happen in his dream. His dream made so much sense now. The light had to have been the lights of the truck, or maybe the lights of the police or ambulance that took her. But, why had he not seen it happen? Why had he not been able to prevent it? His nightmares and the voices had stopped; did it not mean that Akane was safe?

"Ranma-kun?"

Ranma lifted his tear-stricken face to Kasumi, who had at some point walked up to him and was now holding his shoulder. "She was a few blocks away from Tanaka's. We thought she had gone there to talk to you."

Ranma shook his head, not wanting to discuss the events of last night.

_"She saw us! She saw us and she ran away…and now…"_

Ranma felt the weight of guilt on his shoulders. He wanted to scream, break down in front of them, and kick anything in his path…

But, he did not. He knew he had to get it together if he wanted to see her. He knew he had to look as if he had not lost it if anyone was to allow him to see her, talk to her, touch her, apologize to her…

"Akane…where is she?"

"She's at Nerima Hospital. Your mom stayed behind while we came back to change."

"Can I see her?"

"The doctors say we should see her since she might…she might not make it," Kasumi said, finally giving up her strong front and chocking up on her words. Genma walked up to a broken Kasumi, helping her away from the living room. He stopped for a second as he turned back to face his son.

"Ranma, she's in room 423. Don't worry about coming back soon."

Ranma nodded to his dad as he saw him take Kasumi up to her room. He remained where he stood against the wall, taking deep breaths to gather his bearings once again. After a moment, he used his hands to push himself off the wall and walked outside the home through the front door. He stood on the sidewalk for a few seconds, drying his tears with his shirt. Once he felt he had control of himself again, he turned to his left and made his way to Nerima Hospital.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma sat next to his mom in the waiting room. The doctors had gone inside Akane's and taken her away to do some tests. Ranma had arrived just five minutes after they had taken her, and he had been sitting with his mom for about an hour since then. His mom told him she had left a note by the phone when Kasumi had called her to tell her what had happened. She also told him no one answered the phone at Tanaka's when she called, so she had left a message in their voicemail.

_"Great! Now Emi knows what happened, even before I knew."_

After Nodoka had explained to her son what had happened last night, the two had remained silent until a couple of nurses had appeared down the hall with Akane in tow. Her gurney was rolled inside the room, and after a couple of minutes, one of the nurses came out and told the two family members that she was ready to be seen. Nodoka stared at her son, noticing how eager he was to go in. She told him to go inside while she called Kasumi and gave them an update on Akane's health.

Ranma thanked his mom before standing up and walking inside the room. The second nurse had stayed behind and was taking notes on Akane's chart. Ranma stood by the door, not wanting to interrupt the nurse or making her upset and forcing him to leave Akane's side. The nurse took a quick break from her note-taking and invited Ranma to come inside.

Ranma walked further into the room, stopping only at her bedside. His eyes scanned her body, and noticed that he could hardly see her under all the wires and tubes attached to her. He noticed she had an artificial breather, making her seem robotic in her respiration.

"You must be Ranma," the nurse said as she continued to take notes on the chart.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm guessing you're the fiancée, uh? I have to say you both look too young to be engaged."

Ranma nodded. "It's an arranged marriage."

The nurse raised her eyebrows. "Didn't know those still existed."

"I would've married her, anyway," Ranma said, lifting his hand and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "How is she?"

The nurse sighed, knowing what she had to say was not positive at all. At first, she did not think this Ranma person existed at all, since he had not showed up all night despite the families' efforts to find him. Now, seeing him standing there, wearing his heart on his sleeve, she regretted the cocky attitude she had sworn he would be treated by since he had not shown up last night.

"Not so well, I'm afraid. The driver tried to stop but she was too close to the truck. She has multiple lacerations, broken bones, and lost a lot of blood due to internal injuries but we were able to stabilize her early this morning. She was awake for a few minutes after the accident before we induced her slumber, but she is not showing signs of waking up soon."

Ranma's eyes narrowed. "When will she wake up?"

"We don't know; she might not, anymore."

Ranma closed his eyes. He had heard the same from Kasumi, and now from the nurse. He was not sure how long he could keep his cool around such news.

"We will monitor her progress for the next 36 hours, and if she doesn't wake up or show significant improvement, then, in her case, we have to inform the families of other options."

"Other options?"

"Yes. Relocation to a smaller care facility, such as a hospice, or return home with 24-hour surveillance, or…"

"Or?"

"Disconnecting her…she can't breathe on her own."

Ranma was at the end of his rope. His mind could not understand how things had gone from bad to worse in such a short amount of time. Two weeks ago he had been on the balcony with her, bringing her food, holding her, watching the stars together. Today, he was holding her cold hand, being told she might not live long enough to mallet him as punishment for his mistake with Emi.

The nurse recognized the signs of a man about to lose everything he always held dear, and opted to give him some room. She walked up to Ranma and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Ranma-kun. I really am."

Ranma nodded to her. He heard the nurse walk close to the door but stopped her before she took another step. "How…how did you know my name?"

The nurse gave him a lopsided smile. "She called your name last night before she passed out," the nurse said before she walked out the door, locking it from the inside so only Ranma could open it. She figured Ranma would like some alone time with the dying girl.

The nurse's words stung him as a lemon drop stings a recent paper cut on one's skin. Would it not be his luck that Akane's final thoughts before she passed out had been of him in his worst behavior? He and Emi? He kissing Emi? He not kissing Akane, but this other stranger girl he hardly knew? A girl he did not give a rat's ass about?

The beep of Akane's heart monitor was overcome by the sobs of the pigtailed boy as he cried over the blue-haired girl that he had once called his.

xxxXXXxxx

"Demo, Shukumei, are you certain you wish to meet with the gods? It is quite obvious they have made their decision regarding the fate of Akane and Ranma. We no longer have any say."

"This is my fault, Unmei. I jumped to conclusions again, and now the girl is dying for a wish she never really meant to request."

"But it is not your fault the gods decided to take her from him to punish them both! You know what they will do to you if you walk in there and defy them, do you not?"

"I do, but I must try to undo this. Taking her life is not equal to her offense!"

"But it is greater."

"Yes. But she did not deserve to die!"

"She would not have had she been paying attention to the road and not allow herself to be distracted by Ranma's actions."

"And Ranma's actions would have not occurred if the gods had not meddled with his mind."

"So, what are you planning to do? Walk in there and tell the gods they are wrong? They will take your immortality and send you to Earth with the mortals!"

"Then, perhaps down there I might be of some assistance."

Unmei slapped Shukumei on the back of his neck. "Will you listen to yourself? Why are you being so determined to fix things between these two?"

"Because I caused this! I already separated a girl and her family across time. What good are these powers if all I have caused with them is grief to the mortals?"

Unmei shook his head and crossed his arms. "You cannot fool me, old friend. You are doing this for personal reasons. You are being reminded of your younger self."

Shukumei did not retort to his fellow demigod. He did not think Unmei would remember that far back, when Shukumei himself had been placed in a similar situation, if not the same. Unbeknownst to new demigods, Shukumei had not always been a demigod himself. At some point, many years ago, he had been just another mortal walking the Earth, hand in hand with his only love. Then Unmei had appeared, and Shukumei had asked for a selfish wish. Unmei had told him about the risks, but Shukumei had not cared. All he wanted was the means to provide for the love of his life.

After Shukumei lost what he had gained through the wish, Unmei had done the same thing Shukumei was trying to do for Ranma and Akane: appeal to the gods' better nature in his name. The gods had been unyielding, just as today, and had denied almost every petition for Shukumei to be forgiven. In the end, Shukumei's love was returned to Earth and lived a happy, long life, never to remember who Shukumei had been or that he had ever existed in her life. Shukumei had traded his eternal servitude to the gods as a demigod in exchange for his love's life.

It was this reason, Unmei thought, that Shukumei jumped to try and help anyone and everyone who crossed his path. He still remembered what it was to be human, and succumbing to the shortcuts a God-given wish provided. He had been able to fix his own mishaps on his own every time since then, but this mishap seemed to have gone past his jurisdiction and control.

"I just want you to think about what you are about to do. If they are merciful to you, they will send you back to Earth as a mortal, with no identity, and to live off the rest of your days as a big nobody to everyone."

"I know."

"Is that what you want? I was not aware you were in such a hurry to leave this life?"

"Life? You call this a life? This is all you know, Unmei. You do not know what it is to be down there. You remember Ukyo's okonomiyaki, yes?"

Unmei's eyes sparkled at the memory, nodding dreamily. They had taken a piece of an unattended okonomiyaki at her restaurant, and they had been in a daze for days. Never had they tasted mortals' food, and their first encounter with Ukyo's cooking had been pure bliss.

"Well, there is more to that, but it is all they –the mortals, have. Ranma and Akane had only each other, and now…Now Akane is being disconnected in _two_ days. I have two days to convince the gods to forgive her; two days before I cannot undo what I have done."

Unmei nodded, understanding his friend's reasons for trying to help the couple they had enjoyed watching for the past months. He knew, however, that this conversation with him was probably their last, and he could not shake the feeling of despair that the thought brought to him.

"I…I will miss you, friend."

Shukumei patted his friend's back before he straightened himself up. With a deep breath, he walked through the giant golden doors, and headed inside the gods' chambers for their appointment with him.

xxxXXXxxx

"What do you mean 'it's for the best'?!"

"Ranma, calm down! Are you not hearing what we're hearing? Do you think Akane would like to live like this?" Genma said.

"No! You're not giving her enough time to recover! I can't believe you're not giving her a chance!" Ranma retorted.

"Ranma, son, I know you're upset…" Nodoka began, trying to calm down her son for the twentieth time. It had been 24-hours since Akane had been admitted, and the doctors had just informed the family of the latest developments of Akane's health. The prospects were grim, and the family had decided to meet to discuss their options.

"You don't know the first of it, mom! I can't believe you're backing up this crazy idea! Does anyone here not care about Akane, except me?"

Kasumi shook her head as she reached over to Ranma and held his arm with both of hers. Kasumi knew that he would not hurt her, and she needed to help him understand why they had decided to disconnect Akane, 24-hours from now.

"Ranma-kun, I know you love Akane, we all do, but think about this. The doctors said that even if she wakes up, she won't be able to walk. She's paralyzed from the neck down. She lost a kidney, and a lung. She's blind in one eye, and the accident left her barren, Ranma. How can we let Akane cope with that? How can we just keep her when there isn't much of her left?"

"But, Kasumi…We can't…_I_ can't…"

"We have to let her go, Ranma-kun. She wouldn't want to wake up to this."

Ranma looked around the room and eyed every single one of the members of the Tendo and Saotome families. He could see it on their faces that their decision had been made, and whether or not he accepted the final determination, they were still going to go through with it. His eyes then landed on Akane, looking worse than yesterday, if it was at all possible. If it had been anything else, he would have unplugged all the machines from her and taken her on his back, away from them; away from those who told him there was nothing else to do but let her die. He could not accept it; he could not let her die when he himself had been the cause of why she had gotten into the accident in the first place.

If they knew why he felt this way, they would understand why he could not just let go. Then again, if they knew he involuntarily caused her accident, they would hate him forever. Not that he cared at the moment; he had kept quiet so they would let him be with her in her final moments. After she was gone, buried away in some cemetery, he would tell them. He would let them hate him, hit him, yell at him, do whatever they wanted with him. But not now; right now he needed to be with her, even if deep inside he knew he was just prolonging the inevitable and saying goodbye.

"I'm gonna go home for a while. I need to think."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here, Ranma? Just in case…"

"You're not letting her go until tomorrow, right?"

Nodoka nodded.

"Then, I'll be back in an hour," he said as he exited the room and left the hospital to head back to his home. He walked inside through the front door, unaware of the two men keeping guard outside his home. They waited for him to do his business inside, and half an hour later he walked out of his home, only to be stopped by the two men that had been making camp outside his house since last night.

Ranma locked the entryway behind him, noticing the two approaching men. When he turned around he saw them look at him up and down, as if expecting for him to take out a gun or run away.

"Are you Ranma Saotome?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

"We're gonna need you to come with us, sir."

Ranma's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Why? Can this wait? I have my girlfriend very ill in the hospital."

"How come? Did you beat her up, too?"

"What?"

The other man, who had yet to say a word, walked up to Ranma with a pair of handcuffs. Ranma's was too slow to react and the handcuffs were placed on him as he was being dragged to the officer's car.

"Ranma Saotome, you're being charged for robbery and destruction of property of Tanaka's Sushi bar, and attempted rape of Emi Tanaka. You have the right to remain silent…"

Ranma's ears tuned out the rest of the officer's words. All he could think off was that he was being taken to jail for bogus crimes, and by the time this all cleared up, Akane would be long dead. His mind was lost in another dimension as he was driven away from his home and his last chance to be with his love.

xxxXXXxxx

A small camp was set at the edge of the Nerima district. The camp was composed of a small fire and a single sleeping bag. The camper did not care much for the dangers of the forest, so he had not brought a tent to sleep in. After all the misfortunes and adventures he had experienced, he knew camping in the outskirts of a bustling city would not compare to camping in the wild.

For this reason, he was not prepared when a bush rustled as if on its own accord. The boy took a step back and grabbed his ever reliable bamboo umbrella, holding it close and ready to attack. After much rustling, the bush parted to reveal a small, old, man. He looked pale and tired, but his desolated eyes immediately shone when he saw the boy standing in front of him.

"By Kami! I thought I would never find anyone in time!"

"Uh?" was the boy's intelligent response.

"Where are we? Oh, who am I kidding, asking the lost boy for directions? Anyway, we must hurry! We must get to Ranma before it's too late."

"Ranma? Saotome?"

The short man nodded and got closer to the boy as he saw him drop his umbrella on the ground.

"What do you want with Ranma?"

"It's about Akane. Can you take me to them, Ryouga?"

"Uh…do I know you?"

The short man shook his head as he extended his tiny palm to him. Ryouga shook it, and noticed the man was ice cold.

"No, but I know you, Ryouga. My name is Shukumei, and we need to help your friends before it is too late."

* * *

**A/N:** …Yeah…Would you guys forgive me about this chapter if I posted the Prologue to "Fix You?"


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Uc-chan's was a lively restaurant as younger and older adults alike walked inside for the start of a laid back Saturday morning. The weekend was here, and for the patrons at Uc-chan's, beginning their day with breakfast okonomiyaki was just one of the perks of being alive.

_"Alive,"_ Ukyo thought bitterly, _"that's more than what I can say about Akane."_

Late last night she had been woken up by a call from Ranma, using his one phone call to contact her. He had shared with her that he had been arrested and was spending the night in jail. She had immediately taken down all the information she could from him before hanging up and calling his parents and Akane's, hoping someone would answer the phone. When her efforts proved unsuccessful, she had ran out of her home, inadvertently waking up Konatsu in the process, who ended up joining her as she made haste towards Nerima Hospital to warn the tired members of the Tendo and Saotome families about Ranma's arrest.

After a heated exchange between Ukyo, Ranma, and the detectives who arrested him, the family had been quick to put two and two together, especially when they were read the list of charges. The officer's stories, plus the doctors', Ukyo's and Ranma's had pieced together perfectly and had told them all what they did _not_ want to know: Ranma had caused Akane's distraction, and thus by extension, her current state. He had not even attempted to deny it or justify himself. He knew there was no point. No amount of explanation would bring her back, and no amount of luck would get him out of jail before tonight when she would be declared dead.

Ranma could not erase from his mind the expressions of blame that came from every party involved in the fiasco and were focused on him. His father, his mother, Akane's sisters and father, even Ukyo, they all stared at him as if he were the most terrible human being on the face of the planet. Perhaps, at this moment, he was. Ranma's release bond had been set so high that he did not expect to be bailed out any time soon. Besides, with the oncoming death of Akane, any extra funds the Tendo or Saotome families could have were being set aside for the expenses they knew were to come.

Ukyo flipped another okonomiyaki onto the grill. She was glad that her skills had been ingrained in her by her father since she was very young, allowing her to perform her cooking maneuvers with little attention to them. Her mind was racing with all the information she had gathered last night, making her feel sick to her stomach thinking about Ranma's actions. She wanted to believe he had not kissed Emi. She wanted to believe that he had not pushed Akane to the point of no return. She wanted to believe this to be a terrible nightmare, but the crude reality was brighter than any ray of hope.

The bell to the entrance rung again for the hundredth time this morning, but Ukyo did not attempt to greet the customer. Noticing her distress, Konatsu greeted the known customer as he reached the bar and stood in front of Ukyo.

"Kuonji, where's Ranma? There's no one home at his place or Akane's."

Distracted by the use of her last name, Ukyo lifted her face to find two men standing in front of her. One was Ryouga, and the other was a small, wrinkled, old man wearing odd-looking clothes.

"Why do you want to know, Hibiki? Are you lost, again?" She spat back, purposefully mocking his innate inability to read a map, and wondering for a minute how he had been able to visit Akane and Ranma's homes.

"Dammit, woman! We don't have time for this!"

Some of the patrons turned to face Ryouga when he raised his voice at the chef. Ukyo rolled her eyes, before she pointed to the back room with her head. She did not want another repeat of the scene she and Akane caused just days ago. Ryouga picked up on her cue, and followed her to the back room, with the old man in tow.

Shukumei's eyes sparkled when he followed the lost boy and the chef, realizing that he was about to speak directly to the creator of the most tasteful food he had ever savored.

"What's this about, Ryouga-kun?"

"There isn't much time to explain. Has Akane been disconnected yet?"

Ukyo was taken aback by his question. She did not recall Ranma or anyone mentioning Ryouga had any involvement in her tragic accident.

"How the hell do you know about that?"

"Long story. Look, is she still alive or not?"

Ukyo nodded. "They're disconnecting her tonight."

"So, where's Ranma?"

"In jail."

"WHAT?!" both Ryouga and Shukumei yelped. Shukumei did a quick inventory of his notes in his mind; he did not recall Ranma ending up arrested in _this_ timeline.

Ukyo crossed her arms in front of her as she waited for the two men to recover from the surprise. "Long story," she finally said, taking a page out of Ryouga's book. "If you hurry up, you can probably catch visitor's time. He's in the 3rd precinct."

Ukyo's eyes darted to Ryouga's unusual companion, and saw that the old man was staring at her intently but not saying a word. She crouched down to his level and waved at him.

"Kon'nichiwa, my name is Ukyo. Who might you be, Ojīchan?"

Shukumei placed a hand on his chest and proceeded to pass out on the spot. Ukyo's eyes widened at the scene before turning to Ryouga for help. Ryouga grabbed Shukumei by the front of his shirt and slapped his face a few times.

"Wake up, you dope! We still need to see Ranma!"

After four slaps, Shukumei regained consciousness. Ryouga carried the little man on his shoulders as he headed to the door. Shukumei, however, stopped the boy by pulling on his hair. Ryouga was ready to punch the annoying little man but he cleared his throat to stop the lost boy in his tracks.

"We only have a few hours, Ryouga. Might it not be faster finding Ranma if Ukyo-sama helped us? I knew where Akane and Ranma lived, but I have no idea where this precinct is located."

"Ukyo-_sama_?" Ukyo mumbled, confused about the high honorific.

"I guess. Kuonji, can you help us get to the precinct?"

"Sure, Hon. Just give me a minute," Ukyo replied, not certain of what was happening but also not wanting to miss out on the development of something that seemed very important. She took off her apron and replaced it with her spatula belt. She then placed a large spatula on her back before grabbing Ryouga by the arm and guiding them all to see their locked up friend.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma sat on the floor of his side of the jail cell, clearly in shock as he replayed Shukumei's story, from the mention of Shukumei's and his friend called Unmei deciding to follow them, to Akane making her wish and everything in between, until last night when Shukumei had been expelled from the gods' world for criticizing their wrath towards he and Akane.

Ukyo and Ryouga took a step back when Shukumei finished his story, as an amalgam of emotions crossed Ranma's open-book face: distress, confusion, happiness, pain, sadness, disbelief, sorrow, anger…_hatred_.

Distress at realizing that there were beings out there that had the ability to intervene with their fucking free will, the only damn thing he thought was his. Confusion as to how he and Akane had been chosen to be the _lucky_ ones to be meddled with, without really asking or volunteering their lives for it. Happiness at the idea of not being the sole perpetrator in the dramatic situation surrounding them. Pain as he empathized with the suffering Akane had to endure during this misunderstanding. Sadness at the prospect of knowing he and Akane had been deemed unable to coexist by the gods above them. Disbelief at the simple awareness of the existence of the ordeal, augmented by the idea that demigods and gods granted wishes to pleading humans as they saw fit. Sorrow for the life he had to continue living without her, thanks to a foolish wish she would have never made in the first place, had he been more sensitive that night. Anger at everything and everyone involved; a feeling of anger that did not stop there.

Anger directed towards Akane for being so stupid and stubborn to wish away her feelings for him. Anger towards the gods who decided who lived and who died based on their own almighty and skewed view of reality. Anger aimed at Emi for sending his ass to jail for rejecting her. Anger aimed at himself for being as stupid and stubborn as Akane to allow this situation to happen in the first place.

Hatred.

Hatred directed at the little man standing on the other side of the bars, explaining to him with uncanny detail and certainty, how he and his friend had called the cards and ruined their existence. Hatred targeted at his inability of turning back time.

Hatred emerging from Ranma was the one feeling Ryouga and Ukyo feared the most out of him. A scene of a truly angry Ranma was as uncommon as a good meal coming from Akane. They thought they had seen him angry in the past: angry at his curse, angry at realizing his father traded him for food as a mere child, angry at his father for choosing his fiancée for him, angry at anyone who tried to hurt his family or the people he cared about.

However, the type of anger that made the usual laidback Ranma the scariest person in the world, was the one caused by someone or something threatening the wellbeing of his tomboyish, uncute, unsexy fiancée.

Threatening her life was non-negotiable, and he would make sure the gods became aware of this fact.

He sat in the lotus position, resting his elbows on his knees and joining his hands by interlacing his fingers. He then rested the inner part of his interlocked hands on his mouth, staring beyond the wall outside his cell. His slightly angled face contrasted with his straight sight in front of him, making his narrowed eyes look even more menacing by the position he was in.

He remained in the same pose, unmoving, silent, for what seemed like eternity plus a day for the frightened bystanders. Eventually his eyes moved to glare at Shukumei, making the former demigod shake where he stood. Shukumei ventured to move closer to the middle of the bars, allowing Ranma to stare at him without having to curve his field of vision. Ranma followed his every step with his eyes. As soon as Shukumei held the bars with his tiny hands, he became unable to move.

Ranma's aura seeped out of him, flooding the ground towards Shukumei, resembling a red river. He had always been more inclined to use his soul of ice, which turned his aura's color blue, but at this moment, all the training Cologne had invested in him was shot out the door. The soul of ice would not satisfy him right now; neither would a technique of self-esteem. However, a well-aimed Shi Shi Hokodan seemed very enticing to him just about now.

Shukumei became embraced by Ranma's aura, rooting him to his spot and sending waves of pain through his body. Shukumei closed his eyes, knowing what Ranma was doing to him. At this point, he felt he deserved it after all the trouble he had caused to the pair. Still silent, Ranma stood up from the floor and slowly walked towards Shukumei. With each step Ranma took, his aura lifted Shukumei in the air, but still kept him close to the metal bars. By the time Ranma reached his side of the bars, Shukumei had been lifted from the floor, and floated in the air at eye level with the pigtailed boy.

Ranma leaned in closer to Shukumei's face, their noses almost touching.

"You've got a lot of guts comin' here and telling me what you did. I'll give you that."

Shukumei just stared at the young man in front of him, not saying anything or even daring to move.

"But, you still haven't told me why I shouldn't rip you to pieces, right fucking now."

With every word Ranma uttered, his aura pressed deeper onto the former demigod's skin, making him feel as if he were on fire. Shukumei swallowed hard, taking in the pain like a man before opening his mouth and responding to Ranma.

"I…we can _still _save her…you…_you_ can still save her."

Ranma's glare diminished for a second, before a new wave of hatred emerged from him. "It's one thing to come and tell me how you fucked up; but don't you _dare_ try and play down what has happened to her!"

"It is true…I did it before…I swear! I convinced the gods to bring back my fiancée!"

"How, exactly? Did you trade her for you mom, you sick, son-of-a-bitch?"

"No…everyone is different. In…in my case…it was me for her."

Ranma's face changed to one of understanding, determination –acceptance, of what he could and would do. Ryouga knew that face very well; it was the same look of determination he had seen on him when the tour guide in Jusenkyo had told them about how to bring back Akane to life.

"Ranma…you're not seriously considering this, are you?"

"Considering what?" Ukyo asked, not quite following the conversation until Shukumei's words replayed in her head. "You're not serious, are you? This is ridiculous!"

"Uc-chan…I have to…"

"NO! What the..? NO! How do we even know this old man is telling us the truth? How many times have you been tricked by old people, Ran-chan? How do you know this is even real?"

"I think he knows I'm not joking about shredding him and dumping his parts inside different dumpsters across Nerima," Ranma said as he eyed Shukumei. "Right?"

Shukumei nodded. "I know it is hard to believe but, it happened. How would I know so much about this if I was not who I told you I am?"

"Still! This is insane!" Ukyo said, walking up to Ranma. "Ran-chan, I know it's bad with Akane and all…but, how is she gonna feel when she comes back in one piece and you're…you're gone?"

"Akane, or you, Uc-chan?"

"Both of us, dammit!"

"They do not have to take his life, you know?" Shukumei intervened before the argument took a turn for the worst. "It was not in their plans to injure her. The accident was something that was not in their plans. It truly was a random accident; utter coincidence. They only wanted to separate you two; they may be willing to negotiate."

"How?" Ranma asked. "How do I negotiate with them?"

"You sleep."

"What?"

"You sleep," Shukumei said again. "Unmei! Friend! Are you still here with me?"

Ukyo shook her head. "See? He belongs in a cell next to Kodachi! He's crazy!"

"I am not crazy! Unmei, I need you now! Please!"

The three youngsters and the old man remained silent for about ten seconds but no other voice was heard. Ranma returned his eyes to Shukumei and grabbed him through the bars.

"That's it, you little bastard! I'mma show you not to trick me again!"

Shukumei closed his eyes, waiting for the punch that never came. Instead of Ranma's fist connecting with Shukumei's face, it actually impacted Unmei's face.

"What the hell?"

Between Shukumei and Ranma floated Unmei on his little cloud, receiving the full blow of Ranma's hit. Ranma took a step back, allowing Unmei to hit the ground with a loud thud on the other side of the bars before Shukumei ran and shook his friend.

"Unmei, wake up! Why did you get in the middle?"

Unmei shook his head to gather his bearings as he slowly stood up and returned to his cloud. "Be quiet, friend. You know very well I can take the hit better than you can. In fact, he would have probably broken your skull," Shukumei said as he rubbed his forehead.

"And then there were two," Ukyo said, rubbing her eyes wishing –_hoping_, she corrected herself, that she was really just back at home experiencing a nightmare.

Ranma got closer to Unmei and examined the demigod. He looked much smaller than Shukumei, and was wearing a red robe. He had a disproportionally big and pointy nose that took most of the space on his tiny face. Unmei made sure his friend was still alright before directing his words at the pigtailed boy.

"Hello, Ranma. I take it you want Akane back, ne?"

Ranma bit his tongue to keep his sarcastic retort back and decided to simply nod.

"Alright, then. There is one last thing you can do to get her back before they pull the plug on her. I will induce a sleep that will allow you call out for the gods. If you are lucky, you may get their attention, and perhaps be able to negotiate with them."

"May? Perhaps? This doesn't sound very reliable, or is it just me?" Ranma spat.

"I know how it sounds," Unmei began. "But it is this or let her die and not be there to say goodbye to the girl."

Ranma took a few steps back and sat on the small bed in his cell. He stared at the floor as he listened to Shukumei explain the rules of the gods' game.

"If they do grant you an audience, they will ask you what you are willing to trade in exchange for bringing her back. You have to be very specific, because if you are not, the gods will fill in the blanks with their own ideas."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let us say you wish to be with Akane, but do not specify where and when, or how. You will probably end up being turned into a maggot for her grave."

Ranma shut his eyes, hard. That one piece of information from Unmei made him realize the cure was perhaps worse than the illness. If he did not do this properly, not only would Akane not survive, but he would probably not be around either. He knew he should probably weigh out pros and cons, think about the situation with a more leveled head. However, no matter how it was presented to him, or how well Ryouga or Ukyo argued against it, he knew that in the end, he would rather try to save her, than to sit here and do nothing at all.

"Be specific, OK. What else?"

"You cannot make two requests."

Ranma's head turned to face the floating demigod. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you are going to visit the gods to ask for her to become healthy, correct?"

"Yes."

"Even if the gods grant you your request, the original goal of Akane's wish cannot be undone. You may get her back to normal, but you will not be able to be with her without enraging the gods again. Her wish remains…unless…"

"Unless, what?"

"Unless she negotiates with the gods and gives something up, as well. Trade."

"How can she do that if she is not even awake?"

"Indeed, there is a way. However, the point of my statement was to let you know that the gods will try to trick you. They know all your wants, and needs. They know other _things_ that you also want. They will tempt you to request something other than what you initially desired."

"So, if I negotiate her well-being, I'm giving up being with her or being out of this jail…or…"

Unmei nodded. "The gods take requests and trading on a one-on-one basis. Giving up your life or soul to them does not count as an equivalent to two or three or more requests. It is simply one. Remember that, as a mortal, you have many more things to lose than your life."

"They aren't gonna make this easy for me, are they?"

"Not at all."

"Anything else?"

"Remember what connects you with this world. Do not lose sight of your goal, and your desire to return to this life."

"I don't follow," said Ranma, standing up and walking towards the visitors standing outside his jail cell.

"The gods like to get something, and be able to give nothing in return. They may show you visions of things that are not there, dreams of yours, hopes…but they are illusions made to keep you as their servant without having to give anything up themselves."

"So, basically, I'm asking for a favor from my father?"

Unmei chuckled. "Yes, something very similar. The Panda Man was always one to remind us of the unreasonable, selfish, and entitled attitude of the gods."

"Great," Ranma mumbled under his breath. "So, when do we start this?"

"As soon as you are ready."

Ranma nodded before facing Ryouga. "Ryouga…if…I can't…but she…can you…?"

Ranma did not have to clarify his request to the lost boy. He knew exactly what he meant, and even if Ranma had not requested it of him, he would have done precisely what Ranma expected him to do. Ryouga assured his commitment to his task by pressing Ranma's shoulder with his hand, through the cell bars.

Ranma then stared at a teary-eyed Ukyo who shook her head vehemently at Ranma, begging him to reconsider his decision. She knew it was pointless to try and change his mind; he was going to get Akane back, one way or the other. He knew there was a chance he would bring her back only to see her move on with her life without him, but he would rather have her hate him from afar, than love him from the Beyond.

"Uc-chan, thank you for everything. You were always my best friend."

"You're an idiot! You're an idiot for risking everything you have for her!"

"Uc-chan, don't you understand by now? _Everything_ I have _is_ her."

Ukyo closed her eyes, forcing her face away from Ranma's. She did not have a response to his statement. She knew it to be true without him uttering the words, and no matter how much she heard him say things like this, she would never get used to the idea of Ranma loving anyone but her.

Ranma took a few steps back towards his small bed. He laid on it, facing up at the dingy ceiling, and rested his arms on his sides. He took a deep breath as he waited for Unmei to float behind his head. The demigod placed his tiny hands above Ranma's head, closed his eyes, and began chanting in a language Ranma did not recognize. As the chant went on, Ranma felt his limbs tingly as his body went numb, section by section. His eyes began closing slowly until he was unable to hear the demigod's voice and all he was surrounded by was darkness.

As Unmei verified that Ranma had fallen asleep, he floated away from the boy and approached his friend. The two friends stared at the pigtailed boy as his breathing evened out and he became as still as a board.

"Unmei?"

"Yes?"

"Did you tell him how to get back?"

Unmei's eyes opened wide at the realization that he had not. He then felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned around and saw a very upset Ukyo and Ryouga staring down at the two friends. Both the demigod and former demigod swallowed hard as they saw the fury in the eyes of the pigtailed boy's friends.

"How exactly do you want us to punish you?" Ryouga asked.

"Be very specific," Ukyo added before she slid her spatula from her back.

The sounds of the fight taking place outside Ranma's cell were lost to him, as he tried to turn the dark tunnel he wandered around in, to a passageway of light.

* * *

**A/N:** I would say sorry for the late update, but that goes without saying. I've been very busy at home with renovations, but I'm taking a break from them for now. I hope I can at least finish this story before the next round of busy-ness comes around. In regards to Ranma getting a phone call in jail, I honestly have no idea how that works in Japan, if you even get a phone call or not. So for the sake of the story, I just made it the same as it is in the U.S. Sorry if it's wrong.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Ranma took small steps in front him, afraid that an unforeseen black hole would swallow him whole at any time. The place where he was dumped by Unmei was too dark to be called just _dark_. He had been trying to place his open palms in front of his face, hoping he could see them, but he had ended up bumping his nose with them instead. He was not certain if he had to keep walking, switch to running, or even how long he had been gone. Time seemed to stand still and other than the deep breaths he was taking, no other sound made its way to his ears.

After what felt to him as days of walking without a clear destination, he stopped in one spot as he grew tired of moving aimlessly. He raised his arms in front of him and concentrated his aura to create a ball of ki with his hands. The red mass of energy quickly appeared before him, but regardless of its glow, the place remained dark around him. Ranma put more effort into his energy mass until it became so wide that it shielded his entire body in front of him. No matter where he looked, the red ball of energy did not illuminate anything other than his own body and nothing else.

"Is anyone here?" Ranma yelled, suddenly realizing he had forgotten what his own voice sounded like. This simple fact unnerved him but he shook off the feeling before it caused any more panic within him. The silence around him was deafening, forcing him to retract his energy back into his body and dematerialize his ki ball.

He continued to walk with no direction, growing more and more confused of his whereabouts. With each step he took, the more he convinced himself that he did not have the slightest idea of why he was here in the first place. After another lapse of time, he then realized he did not recall where he had been before he wound up in this place. Come to think of it, he was not sure if he had _ever_ been anywhere else before being wherever he currently was.

"Hello?" he tried again. "Can anyone hear me? I think I'm lost."

_Lost_. The notion of being lost strung a chord deep within him, making him stop in his tracks. The word _lost_ was supposed to trigger something inside of him, an emotion of some sort, but he could not place his finger on what or why. After a long while he became tired of walking and decided to sit down for the time being.

"What's going on?" he said as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"You have lost your way," a woman's voice responded to him. He looked around himself, expecting to see the woman as close to him as the voice seemed to be, but the darkness had other plans and it did not receded at all.

"Who are you? _Where_ are you?"

"I would love to introduce myself; however, I would like to know who you are, first?"

"I'm…uhm…I don't…remember my name."

"Oh, what a pity! It gets lonely here, sometimes. I was hoping we could keep each other company, but I do not even know who you are."

"Company? That…would be nice," Ranma said, honestly glad to hear the voice of someone other than himself, even if no actual body materialized itself around him.

"Yes, it would. Where are you from?"

Ranma closed his eyes as he tried to recall any memory that would help him respond to his new friend. His head hurt trying to figure out anything related to him, but he was unsuccessful in the end. "I'm not sure."

"If you cannot remember, maybe it is because you belong here."

"_What_ is here?"

"Here is whatever you want it to be."

"I don't want it to be dark."

"Then make it bright."

Ranma's eyes were caught by a tiny speck of light appearing a few feet in front of him. As he stared at the white ray, he hoped that it would become brighter and wider to swallow the dark. In an instant, his bid was granted and he was now blinded by the light around him. He shut his eyes, the brightness causing the beginnings of a headache.

"The light! It's too bright, now!" he screamed.

"Make it go away."

"How?"

"This is your world. Make it what you want it to be."

Ranma concentrated again, forcing the bright light to dim. The light would then dim too much so he would make it bright again until it became too bright and he was back to the dark. He tried this several times but the end result was one of the two extremes. He finally gave up when he was not able to find a common ground, and he was soon surrounded by the darkness that had enclosed him before.

"This is hard," Ranma said as he exhaled deeply.

"No, it is not. If you try your best, you can be wherever you want to be."

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere. Tell me, what do you see?"

With his eyes still closed, Ranma took a deep breath as he concentrated on the image that came to his mind. He was not certain if he was making up the image as he went, or if he had actually been to such a beautiful place before, but he did not care as long as it wasn't too dark or too bright. He saw a small clearing behind a mountain. The green grass expanded to show a line of trees on the left, and a small lake complete with a waterfall on the right. He saw the signs of a fire pit that had been used a while ago, and he could almost feel the cool breeze embrace him.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was standing in the middle of the clearing, and he could hear birds in the trees, as well as rustling of the bushes behind him as smaller animals scattered around going about their busy day. Ranma took a deep breath as he inhaled the fresh mountain air and his senses were hit by a feeling of déjà vu. He blinked and in an instant he was staring at a beautiful, half-naked, blue-haired girl.

His lips turned upside to a smile as he watched her work her way around the clearing. He realized she did not see him as she walked around him, even thru him, humming a song to herself. The girl seemed familiar to him, and her tomboyish looks made him feel warm inside.

"I wonder if she acts like a tomboy, too," Ranma whispered, unaware of whether or not the girl could hear him speak. The girl seemed to continue her tasks, seemingly oblivious of Ranma's intense stare and existence. From nowhere, and at some point, a full camp was visible around him. The fire pit was now lit, and a set up tent and a cooler appeared around him. He saw the girl grabbing a towel and clean set of clothes before she walked away from him.

Not realizing his body was moving on its own accord, Ranma followed the girl, leaving only a couple of feet between them. He was entranced by her presence, and before he knew it, he was watching her undress as she went inside a hot spring. Minutes passed and he just stared at her as she soaked in, closing her eyes and appearing to be completely relaxed.

Another handful of minutes passed and a rustle behind him shook him off his trance. A boy with a bandana around his head appeared out of the bushes, wearing nothing but a towel to cover the bottom part of his body. The girl opened her eyes and smiled at the boy as he made his way inside the spring with her. Ranma felt a pang in his chest as he saw the couple's steamy give-and-take that soon had the girl moaning what he assumed was the boy's name.

He knew watching them in such an intimate moment between them was wrong, but he could not make himself turn away. His fists clenched and his jaw hurt as he saw the look of satisfaction on her face. He did not know why he was witnessing this, but he felt pain run through him at seeing the girl shamelessly cling to the boy as she lost herself to him again.

"Why am I seeing this?"

"You tell me. You see what you want to see."

"Who's this girl? Do I know her?"

"I do not know. You created her. Did you give her a name?"

"A name?" Ranma asked aloud, not really to anyone in particular. He had heard the girl call the boy by the name of Ryouga, but her name was yet to be revealed.

"Is this hurting you? Is she causing you pain?"

"Yes. How do I make it stop?"

"Do you _wish_ to make it stop?"

_"Wish…do I wish…?" _Ranma thought, glaring at the boy with the bandana as he kissed the girl's neck and shoulders. _"Make a wish…?"_

"Akane," Ranma whispered.

"Akane? Is that your wish?"

"No. That's her name…she made a wish…I…I had something to do…"

"You do not have anything to do. This is your world. This is your paradise."

"My paradise. Yes, but…Akane…"

"Forget about her. She is busy with that boy, is she not?"

"Ryouga…"

"Yes, her lover. Why do you not forget about them? Erase them from your paradise. They do not belong here."

"Lover? No. Ryouga is not her lover. I…she's mine."

"No, she is not. She is not real. Forget about her. Forget about the trouble she has brought to your paradise."

"Trouble? Akane. She's in trouble," Ranma said to himself as he crouched on the ground, holding his head with his hands.

"Akane! I have to help her…she…ugh!" The effort of trying to make sense of the situation was too much to bear for him, sending him back to the darkness as he felt his body be lured into a dreamless sleep. The images that he had so cautiously created disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving behind their creator in a catatonic state.

The female voice scoffed loudly after the pigtailed boy became unconscious for the second time since his visit to the gods' world. "He is quite the stubborn mortal, do you not agree? He almost remembered everything, and on his first try! And how did _she_ get inside this illusion? She is not even here!"

A male voice chuckled at the woman's exasperation. "Either he is extremely determined to get back the girl, or you are losing your touch, Itazura-sama."

"Losing my touch? Preposterous! How about you try it yourself, Kyōdaina-sama?"

"It will be my pleasure, Itazura-sama," the male said. "Watch and learn."

xxxXXXxxx

The redhead's eyes snapped open only to close again when the bright sun hit her delicate pupils. She turned to her right and covered her eyes with her hands, allowing her eyes to focus again so she could see where she was. After a minute, and a few blinks, her eyes adjusted to their surroundings. The first thing she saw was the unusual-looking dirt beneath her. She reached down to touch it and quickly realized it was not dirt, but sand. Upon further inspection, she saw on the ground a pair of sunglasses she assumed to be hers. She grabbed them and blew off as much sand as she could from them before putting them back on.

Her eyes looked up and she scanned her environs, confused as to how she had ended up at the beach. She saw the beach was crowded by families and the occasional couple, making her feel somewhat self-conscious and claustrophobic. She looked behind her and saw a handful of children building a sand castle with such determination she would have sworn they believed their young lives depended on it.

"My love, are you alright?"

The masculine voice came from her left, so she followed it until she was able to find its source. She stared at the young man lying on the chair next to hers as if she had never seen him in her life. The redheaded girl tilted her head as if it would help in recalling the name of the boy in front of her.

"Is everything OK, my pigtailed goddess? Is the sun offending your perfect skin?"

She took her hands to her face and realized her skin felt as if it were burning under her touch. She nodded to the boy, uncertain of whom he was, but unsure of what else she could do to find some shade.

"I'd like to get out of the sun," she finally voiced.

The boy nodded as he stood up and extended his arm to help her rise. She accepted it and followed the boy to a covered portion of the beach. "Fret not, my love! Tatewaki Kuno will aid thee!"

_"Kuno?"_ the girl thought. The name had a ring to it, but other than the associating with the man who led her to some much needed shade, she could not recall why the boy seemed familiar to her.

They finally reached a small restaurant that provided more comfortable chairs and cold drinks. The redheaded girl licked her lips as she saw a waitress walk by with a tall drink on her tray.

"I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"

"Immediately, my love. Wait here."

Kuno disappeared behind the bar, as he demanded the waiter to deliver a tall glass of cold water for his waiting lady friend. In less than ten seconds, Kuno returned with the drink, which she quickly swallowed in one gulp.

"Thanks. I feel much better."

"No appreciation is needed, my love. I am your honorable slave. Tell me, have you had your fill of the warm waters of our wonderful motherland?"

"I think so," she said. "Can we go…home?"

"Certainly. Yours or mine?"

"Mine?"

"Very well. Even though we had just arrived here, I guess after proposing to you last night, you require some rest in anticipation to our engagement party do you not?"

"Engagement? We're engaged?"

"Oh, yes! You are my fiancée."

"Fiancée? We're getting married?"

"Yes! And the sooner, the better, my love!" Kuno said as he lowered his head and pressed his lips onto hers. The petite woman froze at the contact before punching Kuno in the face as a dreading feeling of fight or flight engulfed her. She looked around herself, looking for the quickest way out and away from him, and once she spotted the exit, she ran towards it, not daring to look back.

She ran between the crowds as she heard Kuno calling after her. She picked up her pace and did not stop until she saw the lifeguard's tower ahead of her. She threw her sunglasses as far away from the tower as she could in an effort to deviate Kuno's search of her. With agility she did not know she possessed, she jumped to the top of the tower and hid between the back of the chair and the parasol behind it in just one flawless movement. She held her breath as she saw Kuno continue his search for her, which took him as far away as possible from her hiding place after he lifted her sunglasses from the ground and powerwalked to the other side of the beach.

Seeing Kuno disappear behind the crowd, the young woman let out a breath she did not know she was holding. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She took deep breaths to gather her wits and calm down. Her state of relaxation, however, was interrupted by the lifeguard screaming bloody murder that a woman was drowning while ridiculously close to shore.

The pigtailed girl lifted her head and saw where the lifeguard was pointing to, and before she realized what she was doing, she jumped down the tower and ran towards the drowning girl. She was back to shore with the girl before anyone knew what had happened, the crowd quickly dissipating at the lack of a true emergency. She placed the girl on the sand, face up, shaking her back to consciousness.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The blue-haired girl coughed loudly and nodded to her savior. Once the coughs subsided, the blue-haired girl took deep breaths as she wiped water and sand from her eyes. "Thank you so much! I don't know what took over me. I usually don't get near the water."

The pigtailed girl kneeled down and looked behind her to the location where the girl she had just rescued had been in peril. The redheaded girl scratched her head in confusion as she returned her gaze to the now calm girl in front of her that was also kneeling down in front of her.

"How in the world were ya drowning there? That's shallow water!"

The blue-haired girl pouted as she got up, pushing her savior on her butt with the sudden movement. "How rude of you! It's hard for some people! Thank you, anyway."

"Hey, wait up!" The redhead said as she got up and chased after the other girl. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that! I just…well, what's your name?"

The other girl sighed, quickly understanding she had overreacted to the statement, and knowing perfectly well that the girl's confusion was completely justified due to her inability to swim. The blue-haired girl turned around and gave her savior a big smile, showing her there were no hard feelings from their little misunderstanding.

"You're right. I'm sorry. My name is Akane Tendo. What's yours?"

The pigtailed girl's eyes widened at hearing Akane's name. She opened her mouth to introduce herself but realized she did not know who she was herself. She looked around as if someone would magically appear to her and provide her with the answers she needed, but the only words that reached her mouth were the name of the girl in front of her.

"Akane…Tendo. Akane? I…"

"MY PIGTAILED GODDESS!"

Both girls turned in the direction of the voice to see Kuno running towards them. The pigtailed girl felt a spark of sharp pain cross her right temple as the image of Kuno running towards her brought back a faint memory she could not completely piece together. She massaged the offended side of her head with her hand only to be stopped by Akane's concerned voice.

"Hey, are you OK? You seem in pain."

"No, I…I'm OK, it's just…" the redheaded said, looking up to face Akane. Her blue eyes sought out Akane's chocolate eyes as if she needed her approval to breathe. She took another step towards the girl, never losing contact with her eyes. Akane felt her personal space invaded by the strange girl, but she did not feel the need to back away from her.

The voice of Kuno was almost next to them, and the redhead felt as if she was running out of time to do something she could not remember.

"_Time…running out of time…" _she thought, her mouth feeling as if it was filling up with sand. She turned to see Kuno coming from her left side, followed by the unexpected arrival of Ryouga behind Akane.

"_Ryouga? How do I know this guy's nam_e?" The redhead thought.

She suddenly felt confined and even more confused with the entrance of the two newcomers. She wanted to have more alone time with Akane; she needed time to figure out why she felt attached to the girl she had just saved. She wanted to know who the hell she was…

"Ranma?"

The pigtailed girl's eyes snapped back to face Akane. Akane's eyes sparkled, and a smile was plastered on her face, but the tone of voice she had uttered the name with was filled with nothing but sorrow.

"What did you say?" Ranma said after swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Ranma, I'm waiting for you," Akane said again with the same disparity that was her smiling face and her sad voice.

"Akane…where…why…?"

"They're about to disconnect me, Ranma. They can't hear I'm still here."

"Who's disconnecting what? I don't understand…" Ranma began but another flashing memory entered her mind. She saw Akane, lying in the hospital bed in a room where the only sound was the slowing down of her heartbeat through the monitor. Ranma blinked and the vision was gone.

"Unmei…the Gods…UH!"

And the images around Ranma blurred out until they disappeared, leaving behind the pigtailed boy unconscious on the floor of the dark room. His quiet whimpers caused by hitting the floor without attempting to break the fall were soon obfuscated by the loud laughter of Itazura-sama.

"What exactly where you going to teach me, Kyōdaina-sama? It seems the boy has outsmarted you as well."

"I do not understand! How did she end up in this illusion?"

"The same way she ended up in mine. She has a strong soul, just as her mother did."

Kyōdaina-sama sighed. "We should have never agreed to revive her."

"It is alright, Kyōdaina-sama. Not even powerful beings as us would have foreseen her child causing us trouble just as her mother did."

"I guess you are correct."

"Of course."

"So, now that both I and Itazura-sama have failed, do you want to give it a try, Shikei-sama?"

"I do not see a reason why not."

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma opened his eyes to the darkness surrounding him. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the curtain of darkness surrounding him but nothing changed. He laid there on the floor on his right side, both in absolute silence and despair. The silence was then overcome by a small noise.

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

Ranma swallowed hard, feeling his throat as dry as a bucket of sand. He slowly lifted his head, trying to aim his ear to the origin of the noise. He waited, unmoving, as the sound became louder than before.

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

He used his hands to push himself to a crouching position, never losing focus on the noise.

Beep.

He slowly stood up, suddenly feeling dizzy as he did.

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

"Ugh," he uttered as a flash of light blinded his brain. A quick image had preceded the flash of light, but it had been too quick to make sense of it.

Beep.

Another flash, another image.

Beep. Beep.

Two more flashes; two more images.

He closed his eyes to focus on the quick flashes of images that pounded his brain. The images were scattered and did not seem to connect to one another. The images lacked any sense to him. All he could do was admire the image of _her_ living form which appeared in every distorted image his brain taunted him with.

He saw Akane run by him and patting him on the back as she left the home for her morning run. He saw her bumping into him at school. He saw himself following her to Tofu's office. He saw her patching up his wounds after his date with Shampoo. He saw himself patting her body as he searched for the wounds Shampoo had left behind. He saw her lying on her bed as he confessed to her he liked her. He felt her arms surrounding him from behind as she accepted his invitation to a date. He saw themselves kissing behind the tree at school. He heard her call out his name.

_"Ranma!"_

And then, he saw her lying in the hospital bed, her life seeping out of her with every breath she was forced to take. The same image continued to evolve before him even as he opened his eyes. Ranma found himself standing inside Akane's hospital room, listening to the weak rate of her heart, and the noise of the oxygen machine pumping the much needed air inside of her. He looked around and saw the curtains were closed, and the lights were off. However, he could still see her battered body as clear as day.

He walked up to her and tried to touch her face, but his hand went straight through her body. "Akane…are you still with me?"

The mechanical rising and lowering of her chest was his only response. He tried to touch her again, and again his hand went through her skin.

"Akane," he choked out. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"And yet, it did," a raspy voice said.

Ranma turned around, searching for the voice. Other than Akane and himself, the room seemed empty at first sight. He could hear people walking in the hall, pushing carts of medicine or whatever was used in a hospital, but he could not determine where the voice had come from.

"Who are you? Are you one of them?"

"Yes."

"Is this one of your illusions? It's not gonna work on me. I'm here to talk to you whether you want to hear me or not."

"I see. You are a strong one, I have seen. I shall grant you an audience, as you wish. However, it will only take place after her time is done."

"What? I can't wait that long! Akane will be disconnected at any moment! I need that audience now!"

"Do you wish for the hearing to take place now?"

"I…I don't make wishes. Stop this stupid illusion, now. We need to talk; I'm here to negotiate a deal with you."

"Mortal, who said that this was an illusion?"

Ranma's response was interrupted by the door of Akane's room opening to reveal Kasumi. She slowly walked inside the room, followed by her father, her sister, Nodoka, Genma and finally a doctor and a nurse. The somber look on everyone's faces made his chest fill up with fear.

"What's going on? Can they see me?"

"No. They have come to say farewell to the girl."

"You mean this is happening right now?"

"Yes. While your body lies unconscious in the incarceration cell, and your soul wanders here in our world, the life of the girl you had so fearlessly come here to plead for is slipping away."

"No. Make it stop! Please! Don't take her!"

"Is that your wish?"

"I don't fucking make wishes! You caused this mess, you have to fix it!"

"You must be mistaken. You chose her over yourself. Have you forgotten about this?"

"Chose her? When did I…? Oh, shit…" Ranma said as he recalled the constantly nagging voice that followed him for weeks, if not months; the same nagging voice inside his head that asked him to choose him or Akane. Even though he had inadvertently chosen her in a moment of passion back at their trip in the mountain, he thought he had taken back his choice when he had asked the voice if he could make amendments.

His fears were quickly materialized when he realized that his suspicious were true. He had been asked to choose which life would be taken while the other remained; just as Shukumei had described. He thought he was saving her. He thought he would be able to save her either way, regardless of his decision; save her with his fists and strength, but he had been outright wrong regarding his ability to have any say on this.

Ranma closed his eyes as he remembered a prophetic conversation he had with Akane after their first date. He had not wanted to believe her words, but their meaning carried a terrible weight on his shoulders in this moment.

"_You can't expect to solve all your problems with violence, Ranma."_

Her words echoed in his head just as the voice of the gods had before. She had been correct. He had beaten the shit out of Unmei and Shukumei to get him here, but that was as far as his brute strength was going to take him. His most powerful ki attach would do nothing to save her –to _stop_ them, from ending her beautiful short life.

Ranma watched as the family members began saying their goodbyes, one by one. Each grabbed her hand and expressed words of compassion, sorrow, and hopes to see each other someday, on the other side. And they all probably would, even Nabiki, who was shedding tears for the first time in a long while. Everyone would get to see her again someday, if the afterlife was indeed so kind. Everyone… except him, because he did not deserve such a fate. Because if he died, he would be welcomed to the depths of hell with a red carpet for what he had done. Because, if he did not die after this excruciating episode, a life of servitude waited for him in his own version of the hereafter.

Ranma hoped with all his might that he could touch her face one last time before it turned cold and rigid with the eminent characteristics of death consuming a once lively body. The tears ran freely down his cheeks as he remembered the last time he had held her life in his hands. The last time he had evaded death for her, after punching and kicking anyone and anything to drag her soul back to him.

Ranma swallowed hard before clearing his throat and speaking to the gods again. "What do you want from me? What do you want for her life, her health, to return to normal? Tell me what you want in exchange for her life?"

"I knew you were clever, mortal. You just had to be shown the reality of your and her actions. I am glad you finally see things our way," Shikei said. "The true question is, however, what are _you_ willing to exchange? What is her life and health worth to you?"

Ranma closed his eyes to not see the moment Akane's last breath was taken before the steady beep of a flat line engraved itself in his memories.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope it was worth the wait. I see maybe two more chapters and we are done! And then, I can work on Fix You without distraction. I hate leaving my fics unattended, but sometimes the muse takes a leave of absence behind your back.

Kyōdaina – Colossal, titanic, mighty, powerful

Itazura – Mischief, prank, tease, trick

Shikei – Death, decease


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Akane stood next to her deathbed, watching attentively as each member of her immediate and extended family made their way to her and exchanged farewells to her already deceased body. Her ethereal face sported a half smile at the words of comfort coming from her family, and wished for a mere second that she could provide some relief to her pained kin.

_Wished_. She quickly rethought her last mental request. Hadn't her wish sent her to where she lay now, in the first place? She mentally slapped herself for how on edge she felt. The wishing time was now over, and even if she used the actual word in her mind, no more wishes would be granted for her. However, one stupid wish had her on the verge of life and death, and her family suffering for a loss that was never meant to be.

Pushing the guilty thought away from her mind, she continued to honor her family's ritual by remaining silent and attentive until every single present person's goodbyes had been completed. While the distraught family engaged in a small prayer before disconnecting the only link her physical body had with the world of the living, she took a moment to stare at her battered body and thanked her family for choosing to let her go. She could not fathom what kind of life she would have lived if she had ever woken up from the coma she was in, leaving her to depend on someone else for the rest of her life.

_"A life without him, and without anything to offer him,"_ Akane thought, remembering the reason why she was not returning to Earth even though Ranma had pleaded with her family to give her a chance. The shinning absenteeism of her former fiancée in her final moments hurt her greatly during an already agonizing experience of her imminent passing. However, knowing that he would move on with his life was enough for her to forgive his absence. She knew that if the tables had been reversed, she too would have not been able to watch as his life slipped away from her helpless hands. Besides, she knew very well that Ranma was behind bars and would have not been allowed to be there with her, anyway. His situation, however, was about to change.

Akane watched as the loud machines were silenced by the medical staff and the curved lines that reflected the activity of her vitals came to a flat line. She wondered if her mother's passing had been this relieving, and hoped –as she always did after the young age when she became aware of life and death, that her mother had not suffered just as she herself had not.

Her thoughts and silent prayers, however, were suddenly interrupted by the voice of her companion behind her.

"Are you ready to make the exchange, Akane-san?"

Akane took a deep breath and turned around to face the man behind the voice. His tall features made him even more imposing than the fact that he was a god himself. His black robes gave him an air of severity, while his white, long hair and beard gave him a look of wisdom that is only acquired from millennia of orchestrating the guidance of transient souls. Behind his almightiness and roughed features, Akane could tell that this god had been quite charming in his early days.

"I am. And may I say that I'm grateful you're the one making the exchange. Your counterparts are a little too…_eccentric_."

A small smile illuminated Shikei's face at the use of a word to describe his peers that they themselves had always used on him. "We typically do not interact with humans; yet, if we must, they usually leave that part to me," Shikei responding, not daring to elaborate on the reason why human matters were left to the God of Death.

"I see. I guess being a god has its downside when you have to waste your time interacting with the mundane world of mortals," Akane joked.

Shikei shrugged and gave Akane a polite smile. "My peers do find your tasks…dull. I myself find them…amusing –and pointless, most of the time, at least."

Akane nodded as she turned around to face her family one last time; it pained her to see them so heartbroken and helpless. She felt responsible for their sorrow, particularly her father's, whom had made a promise to her late mother that he would watch over the Tendo girls. Soun Tendo was the silliest man you would ever meet, but his duty to his family and its honor was no joke to him.

"I understand," Akane finally began after a long silence. "Being able to see the big picture from this side does make our lives seem rather senseless, as you said. But, when you're on the other side, the most _mundane_ tasks can be the most rewarding of your entire life," Akane countered, emphasizing the use of the word the God had chosen to describe their lives.

Shikei narrowed his eyes at the mortal girl as he digested her words; her words that had struck a chord deep within him. Many years ago he had a similar conversation with a woman who looked much like Akane did. He perfectly knew why the resemblance was there, but he had tried to ignore the irony of the entire situation for the sake of doing his assigned task. Giving away his true feelings regarding this exchange to his peers would make him the butt end of many jokes, for centuries to come.

Shikei remained silent as Akane waited for a response to her polite jab towards the mundane tasks the gods themselves had to complete when it came to dealing with mortals. For a second, Akane thought she had angered the god when he his silence extended for longer than usual. Had she been facing him, she would have seen his stoic face change to one of confusion and mistrust. Yet, she would never know why her words had made such an impact on the God of Death.

"_They are so similar; hundreds of years have passed, and I still yearn for her touch," _Shikei thought bitterly to himself before removing all emotions from his face, yet again. "Your musings are quite enlightening to me, Akane-san. I rarely have the opportunity to have such a pleasant exchange."

Akane shrugged, still facing her family as they disappeared behind the door. The doctor and nurses were disconnecting all other medical equipment from her body and preparing her body to be discharged and transferred to a funeral home. She remained silent again as she saw her body being covered over by the blanket that had been meant to provide her warmth.

"I don't see any reason why to make your life miserable, Shikei-sama," she offered the god. "We made an agreement and it is my martial artist duty to stick to it."

"Tendo-san, something tells me that it is more than your martial artist duty that calls out to such peace between you and the entity who meddled in your life."

Akane half-smiled, remembering the long conversation she and the gods had had when her soul began joining the land of the dead. Learning of their interference in their lives, as well as Unmei and Shukumei's, had been very enraging to her until she realized her cowardliness in confessing to Ranma how she felt had somewhat been responsible for her current situation. After a long argument, Akane had agreed to make an exchange with the gods in order to secure Ranma's well-being.

Shikei-sama saw the same look of guiltiness on Akane that he had seen when she realized what exactly had lead the gods to meddle with her life in the first place. It reminded him of the look he had seen in another female, many years ago, while undergoing a similar situation with the gods. Even though much time had passed between _her_ and Akane, his godly mind allowed him to feel the same emotions as if the situation had occurred yesterday. He looked away from her and cleared his throat to catch her attention one final time.

"Either way, I shall allow you a final moment of happiness in this world as a token of my appreciation for your honorable display. Yet, you must promise me one thing before I do so."

Akane tilted her head, both excited and fearful of what Shikei had in store for her. Then again, she quickly realized that at this point it did not matter what his plan was, she had already vowed to complete the exchange with him and such an exchange was binding enough.

"What is it?"

"You may not disclose the terms, conditions or the existence of our exchange."

"With who?"

"A-Akane?"

In the blink of an eye, Shikei's image dissipated from the room, for which she was grateful as she did not want him to witness her trembling body. She bit her bottom lip as she scrunched the front of her shirt with her left hand. She knew that voice.

She _loved_ that voice; the voice that had called out her name just behind her.

She exhaled deeply as she slowly turned around to see the mix of emotions within herself reflected back at her in his baby blue eyes. So long –or so it seemed, pleading for this moment, hoping for it to become true, praying to anyone who would listen; rehearsing the words in her mind until they were engraved on her tongue. All that preparation was for naught when their eyes crossed; the only word that came out from her lips was his name.

"Ranma."

The distance between them became null as their hands found their rightful place on the other's body. Akane's arms surrounded the pigtailed boy's waist as his hands held her face in place so he could savor a kiss. Tears from both mixed in together, making it impossible to determine who had shed them first.

"Ranma…how are you here? Did you…? You idiot! Did you...?"

Ranma chuckled. "After all this shit, all you can say to me is that?"

"Ranma…"

"Ssshh, Akane. We don't have much time," he said in between kisses. He cupped her face in his hands and burned in his brain the image of her face. He did not want to forget her face; he did not want to forget her taste. He did not want to forget how it felt to have her in his arms again and for the last time.

"Shikei said we only have a few moments together," Ranma added.

"So, you are not dead?"

Ranma shook his head. "Of course not, stupid! He just…he told me there was someone who wanted to see me."

Akane nodded, understanding that this was just a quick gift from the God of Death, and felt somewhat relieved that Ranma knew of Shikei's existence so she did not have to waste their last moments together having to explain to him what was happening.

"Ranma, I'm so sorry. I should've never pushed away without a good reason. I should've never made that fucking wish!"

"No, Akane._ I'm_ sorry. You made that wish because I was too stupid…too cowardly. I should've told ya how I felt…all this time, since the day we met."

Akane's grip tightened on him and he reciprocated. "It's all my fault, Ranma. I never gave you a chance, and then I pushed you away because of some stupid nightmares."

"I'm partially at fault too, Akane. Please, forgive me. I can't let this go on without you forgiving me for Emi. She means nothing…she is nothing to me."

Akane snorted. "Really, Ranma? Our final moments together and you worry about what I think about that conniving tramp?"

"Final moments? Akane what…"

And she was gone. She had been standing in front of him, in his arms, and she was now gone; like a puff of air.

"Akane?" he called out to her as he looked around, hoping to find her standing somewhere else but he had no such luck. She was gone. She was truly gone.

"No! Wait!" Ranma began screaming to anyone who would hear. "You can't take her yet! I didn't tell her I love her! Please bring her back one more time!"

Shikei appeared behind Ranma, even more stoic than before; realizing keeping his cool was so much easier around the pigtailed boy than the human girl. "That is not my burden, mortal. How you waste your time is none of my concern."

Ranma turned around to face Shikei. He wanted nothing more than to grab him by his robes and shake him senseless in a hope to make him understand how important saying goodbye to her was to him. However, his anger quickly dissipated as he realized it would lead him nowhere. All he could do was beg; beg for the chance to look into her eyes and make her understand and feel how much love he felt for her.

"Please…she has to know."

"If she does not know by now, mortal, she will never know," was Shikei's emotionless response. Ranma closed his eyes in defeat, lowering his head and slumping his shoulders as a sign of understanding of Shikei's words. "Is it time?"

"It has been for a while now, but Tendo-san is quite the lady. She deserved a final moment with you, so I granted it to her. You, on the other hand, did not, and your attitude just proves to me how unworthy you are of her."

Ranma opened his mouth to retort to the god standing in front him that he had no idea what he was talking about. Tell him that even if he was not worthy of Akane, he would work his ass to be worthy. He had been told before, and he would most certainly be told again, but he would have proven anyone and everyone wrong. His feelings for her would have made it possible; they would have changed a boy with nothing to show for him, to a man who would be what she needed him to be.

What the hell did gods know about human emotions, anyway? All they did was sit around while they waved their hands and fucked up the only good thing any person could ever have. They meddled with their free fucking will and pushed humans to do the unthinkable in their pursuit of the unreachable, for the simple purpose of the gods' delight.

However, Ranma did not make his true feelings known when he realized this same power the gods had over their lives would prevent any words coming from a simple mortal to make any difference on the god. Unmei and Shukumei had been correct in their descriptions of the gods' lives and actions. Ranma knew immediately that this was as good as it was going to get for him.

"I'm ready," Ranma finally said.

"So it would seem," Shikei said, knowing all too well what was crossing Ranma's mind.

"Before the exchange is made, I have a question for you, mortal."

"What is that?" Ranma asked, showing no interest at all in the conversation. All he wanted as to complete the exchange and go on with his life knowing Akane was safe and sound. On the other hand, he would not even know if Akane was safe and sound after this ordeal, anyway, so he could only hope she would be.

"Why, above all other things you can offer as an exchange, did you choose this?"

Ranma placed his hands in his pockets, exhaling deeply as he thought of the best possible way to place his feelings into words. He could have told him that it was because he had no choice, but he knew he had other choices, such as not choosing at all. He could have told him that it was because it was the right thing to do after everything that occurred between them, and while that would have been an answer close to reality, he would have known that there was simply much more to it. He decided, in the end, to spend his last moments in the god's world trying to make at least one deity understand the pain he was going through with his choice.

"Have you ever loved someone, Shikei-sama?"

Shikei remained still, attempting his best to masquerade the quick tint of emotion that crossed his eyes. The mortal was not supposed to know his past, and while he knew he did not, he could not help to wonder if Shukumei had said more than he should have. Shikei analyzed Ranma's features searching for a sign that he knew more than he was letting on, but all he saw in Ranma's eyes were the pain of having to live with the consequences of his past actions. Ranma's eyes reminded him of the pain he himself had felt so many years ago, and he tried to cover up his quick weakness before Ranma noticed anything had changed. However, his efforts had been in vain. To the eyes of any other, the god's internal battle of emotions would have been overlooked by a mile, but for the eyes of a man who had suffer a similar pain, the reality was too obvious to ignore.

Ranma took the god's silence as an affirmative response, encouraging him to continue trying to make his point. "Did you ever have to make a choice? A choice that would be difficult to make, and carry out, but that in the end you knew was for the best?"

Shikei narrowed his eyes, attempting to intimidate Ranma, showing him that sympathy was not one of the feelings the god would feel for the mortal at this time. Truth was that Ranma's attitude and choices irritated the god to no end. Not only because there were other options to choose from, but because it reminded the god of a choice he had made in the past, centuries ago, when standing in Ranma's shoes.

He hated the choice Ranma had made because he _understood _it, and because the wound was still open, making Shikei feel as if Ranma was purposefully pouring acid on its opening right now, just to see how much it would hold. He knew he should not be playing Ranma's game, whether Ranma knew he was playing it or not. He knew where it would lead. He knew the impact it would have on his whole being, and how it could become the last straw before he took the plunge at the opportunity he had craved since _she_ abandoned him.

He knew what he was about to do, and he knew he could stop it if he wanted to. However, he also knew that he had waited long enough, and after everything had been said and done, he did not give a rat's ass what his peers thought of him at this point. Shikei took a step closer to Ranma, attempting to use his proximity as a way to break the young man's spirit as much as he was breaking his own. "How is leaving her behind for the best?"

Ranma chuckled lightly as he stared at the now empty hospital bed, not aware at all of the thoughts that crossed the god's mind. He scratched the back of his head before shaking it and shrugging. "Why don't you tell me? You're the one trying to split us apart, aren't you?"

Shikei swallowed, having no response to Ranma's question. Yes, he and his peers were trying to separate them, but only to enforce the rules they themselves had set for each other, and their interactions with the mortal world. The stupid rules that came about due to a mistake the God of Death had made in the past; the rules that had sent this man and his woman spiraling down a bottomless pit of godly bullshit.

Seeing the god had no reply to his question, Ranma sat on Akane's former hospital bed, hoping to feel the warmth her body had left behind. "Akane…I need her, badly. I just…I'll never be the same without her. But, she has a family that cares for her. She has friends she loves. She's a good person who got caught in a bad track. She deserves to have a good life. She deserves to have a life that there is no way in hell she could have with me," Ranma said, trying his best to prevent his words from cracking as he spoke.

Shikei took in Ranma's words, analyzing them as he stared at him up and down. Being a god himself –the god of death at that, Shikei knew secrets that no one knew about. He could read emotions and thoughts, and had had his fair share of seeing humans' true colors at their time of death. He had seen once proud, upstanding mortals become treacherous, hypocritical, and sometimes even malevolent as they attempted to negotiate the terms of their death. Their words and feelings never synchronized, and this truly enraged the God of Death. He had learned that those who begged for their lives were usually the ones who did not deserve to keep it in the first place, and those who did not had something else to offer to the world.

Ranma's words and feelings, however, matched each other wholly, and Shikei knew he was telling him what he truly believed. Just as he himself had a long time ago, just like Shukumei had as well; and, as ironic as it was, all for a woman –almost the_ same_ woman.

"I still find it difficult to believe your choice. Your preference of exchange is far more atrocious than death itself."

"I don't think it is. Akane gets to live; I get to live, and neither of our families has to suffer. Seems like the best choice, if you ask me."

Shikei remained silent again, considering his options one last time. When Ranma showed no sign of changing his mind, Shikei took a step back. "Very well."

And, with those simple words, Ranma disappeared from his sight. The hospital room disappeared with him, leaving the god alone with his thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, Shikei felt two presences standing behind him.

"Well, well! It seems Shikei-sama has shown us again what power he has over the silly mortals. Well done, I must say!" Kyōdaina-sama said as he patted his friend's back.

"Agreed, Kyōdaina-sama! Next time, we should just let Shikei-sama fix these aggravating errors in judgment of lowly demigods," Itazura-sama added.

"So, Shikei-sama, what was accomplished, after all?" his male counterpart asked.

"Yes, please! Relate to us what we get from these two? Lives? Punishment? Servitude?" the female god asked.

Shikei tried his best to ignore his peers' selfish actions and relayed the agreements Ranma and Akane had made with him.

"Ranma had originally decided to give up his life for hers…"

"YES! Another wandering soul for our collection!" Itazura-sama said.

"I am afraid not, my lady. We ended up producing a different arrangement. He asked for Akane to return to life AND to be back to her normal, healthy self."

"But, Shikei-sama," Kyōdaina-sama began, "That is two wishes –two requests, what did he offer in exchange for two requests if he did not give up his worthless life?"

"He exchanged his two other most precious possessions."

"Which are exactly what?"

"His manhood, and his memories of her. He has returned to the mortal world as a woman who does not know who Akane Tendo is, and will never remember the life they had."

"Oh, my, Shikei-sama! That is more amusing than death itself!"

"And, the girl, what did she ask for?"

"She asked for Ranma to go back to his normal life, not remembering her, and not falling for Emi's trap."

"What did she give in return?"

Shikei finally turned around to face his peers as they waited for his response.

"Her life of servitude, to us."

The other two gods stared at each other, confused at the conflicting requests Shikei had just described to them.

"Shikei-sama, how were you able to grant both requests? The boy wanted her to live, but she wanted to die. How is that going to work out?"

"Yes, Shikei-sama, you know that even if he asked for her life, she already gave it to us. His request is useless."

After a moment of silence as understanding dawned on the gods, Kyōdaina-sama and Itazura-sama burst into laughter at the irony of it all.

"So, let me get this straight, Shikei-sama," Kyōdaina-sama begun. "You took two things from the boy, and gave nothing he requested in return, and you took one thing from the girl, and gave nothing she requested in return?"

"Indeed."

The two gods stared at each other before another bout of laughter made itself known.

"We have to leave it to you, Shikei-sama! You are the best of all of us when it comes to taking everything and not giving anything back. You are not the God of Death for nothing!"

Shikei stared at his peers as their eyes filled with tears of laughter, yet he did not share their enthusiasm. Neither of the gods took his lack of emotion as anything otherworldly, as they were already used to the eccentricity of his actions. After they dried their tears and the laughter subsided, Shikei cleared his throat to get their attention one final time.

"There is a third exchange that remains to be completed, however."

"Oh, yes? What else did you manage to run away with? Who is the arrangement with?"

"Myself…"

"Yourself…and?"

"And…_you_."

The two gods stared at their peer with shocked faces, secretly hoping their ears had deceived them. When Shikei made no move or showed no intention to correct their thoughts they knew he was reading, they knew what was to come.

"Over six centuries, my friend, and you still blame yourself for _her_ fate?" Kyōdaina-sama asked as he prepared to carry on the exchange with Shikei-sama.

"Always," were Shikei's last words before Itazura-sama joined the final exchange.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you all for your patience, for reading, and of course, for reviewing. Wrapping up pretty soon! Anybody get the significance of "Always?"


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"Dammit! It's _so_ late now! Stupid Emi and her boyfriend!"

Ranma walked down the street, with her final paycheck in her hand. She had just finished her last day at Tanaka's Sushi Bar and she was glad it was over. She would have been free to go home much sooner if it had not been for the boss' daughter and her boyfriend making out in the back and causing more of a mess than Ranma cared to clean up. However, Tanaka had given her a great recommendation to her new job she started on Monday, landing her a better job with better pay and better hours, so she saw no other choice but sucking it up and finishing the job.

The redhead stretch her arms above her head, feeling every bone in her body pop, and every muscle complain at the over use. Granted, her father had taken the time to train her in the arts, but she was not as interested as he would have liked her to be. At this moment, however, she wished she would have paid more interest just for the sake of having a better physical condition to perform cleaning services.

_"Maybe if I had been a boy instead of a girl, dad would've been happier."_

Her mother had always told her to ignore her father's moods. A child was a blessing either way, especially to a woman who had been told she would never be able to have children. Nodoka was just grateful that life had been kind enough to her and that Ranma was alive and healthy, despite what Genma thought about her lack of interest in martial arts.

"What should I do with this money? Maybe I should get ice cream! I deserve it after all the work I've done!"

Giggling to herself as she amped up her step, Ranma headed to the ice cream parlor which she knew was just a couple of blocks away. She could almost taste the double scoop of cookies and cream ice cream, with an extra cherry or two on top if she used her charm with the gullible clerk.

"I don't care what dad says! Being a girl is so much better than being a boy!"

Her proclamation was interrupted when she was embraced by a strange feeling coming from behind her. She felt as if something –or someone, had passed right through her body as if it was made of nothing but air. For the briefest second, she felt as if whatever had passed through her, had taken something with it as it went by. She swallowed hard as the awkward sensation went away, taking with it her content mood.

It took her a couple more seconds to come to her senses, forcing herself to look around for anything or anyone that could have caused the eerie sensation within her. Everything around her was as it should. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, and for the exception of the cars in the street and the people on the opposite sidewalk, she was alone.

"I must be more tired than I thought," she told herself, hoping the ice cream would make the feeling of dread go away.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. In her attempt to relax, her grip on her check loosened, falling victim to the spring wind.

"Oh, no! Dammit!"

Ranma followed the path her final compensation took as it waved through the air. She ran towards it, hoping it would not make it to the street where it would surely be destroyed by the wheels of an uncaring car. She knew she could probably return to Tanaka's and ask for another copy, but she dreaded having to return to see Emi and her boyfriend Orochi doing it on the floor of the restaurant.

Shuddering at the thought, Ranma picked up speed. The piece of paper stopped on the ground a few feet away from her, taunting her to come pick it up. At the precise moment her slim hands were inches away from the slippery piece of paper, a new wave of wind rushed through, sending the paper dancing its way to the highway.

"Son of a bitch! Hey, come back!"

Several bystanders watched as Ranma tried to avoid the passing vehicles to reach her check. She was forced to backtrack a few times as cars and their angry drivers honked at her and reminded her to walk on the sidewalks, not the middle of the street.

"Your momma, too!" Ranma yelled back at one particular driver who had made his feelings regarding Ranma's unwilling suicide attempts known. Ranma's colorful response was interrupted when her check landed in the last lane of the street. She looked to both sides, making sure no other cars were heading her way, but a motorcycle appeared out of nowhere, pushing her back another lane.

"This is ridiculous! Who the hell did I piss off Up There?" Ranma said while shaking her fists. Her demands were put to a stop when a girl on the other side of the street addressed her and her predicament.

"Are you looking for that paper?" The blue-haired girl said as she pointed to the check that was three feet away from where she stood on the sidewalk. "Give me a minute, I've got it!"

The blue headed girl crawled under the fence, attempting to reach the paper without having to get on the street. She had been witnessing the redhead's attempts to get it, and she was not willing to sacrifice her life for a piece of paper, no matter how important it seemed to be to the other girl. Besides, the gods would be upset if she got herself in an accident on the first day of her new job.

She stretched her arm as far as she could, but a slight breeze made the paper slide just enough toward the opposite side of her reaching arms.

"Darn it!"

She stood up from her crouching position and looked at both sides before jumping the fence, landing on the paper, and bending down to grab it firmly in her hands. She looked up to the redhead who by now had returned to the opposite sidewalk, waiting for the random stranger's aid. Akane Tendo stared at the piece of paper in her hand and saw that it was a paycheck.

Akane smiled as she lifted her head and waved the paper at the girl whose name seemed to be Ranma as it read on the check.

"You're gonna have to invite me to a dinner for this!" Akane joked.

Ranma rolled her eyes in feign annoyance before her eyes caught the sight of a shiny, moving object, coming from her left. Her eyes then moved back to the standing Akane in the middle of the street, still playing with the new-found treasure. Ranma's brain was slow to react, forcing her eyes to stare back and forth between the incoming delivery truck, and the blue-haired girl in the street. A second too late, Ranma pieced together the evidence her brain was trying to connect for her. She began running towards the girl, trying to grab her attention as she did so.

"Hey! You, girl! Watch out! Get out of the street!"

The noise of the people and cars around them prevented Akane from clearly hearing Ranma's words. She dismissed them as responses to her early taunts, so she paid them no heed. Her ears then heard the distinct sound of honking and screeching of wheels, coming from her right. Akane's head veered to the direction of the noise, and her eyes opened wide as she realized what has about to occur.

Her chest felt the impact first, followed by her back and the air being sucked out of her lungs. She fought the instinct of curling up in a ball as she did when she was young, as she knew it was not going to lessen the impact of what she knew was the vehicle taking her on a trip to experience the wrath of the gods.

The bright lights had blinded her and it took her a moment to realize her body was no longer in major pain. Believing she had finally _died_ and that her death had been quick, she allowed herself the luxury of passing out where she lay before she had to explain to Shikei-sama why the hell she had gotten herself hurt on her first assignment.

xxxXXXxxx

The first thing he felt was pain. Pain was all that surrounded him, in such intensity that it was difficult to know any feeling other than pure ache. He made a giant effort to open his eyes, but the intense light forced them close again.

"Ohhh…_fuck_…"

He made a second attempt at opening his eyes, and this time it proved successful. He blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust, and his brain to process his current state. He did not recognize the pale walls and ceilings, or the uncomfortable bed he was in, but he got an idea of where he was when the unmistaken scent of sterility invaded his nose.

"What the hell…?"

His senses became alert, or as alert as he could be at the moment, when he heard the doorknob jingle. His eyes instinctively followed the noise and his eyes widened at the sight. Akane peeked in through the narrowly opened door before screaming behind her.

"He's woken up! Ranma is awake!"

As soon as she had informed whoever was listening that he had regained consciousness, she ran inside the room and stood above his bed. She patted him as she searched for injuries, carefully moving his face from left to right to stare at the bruises already forming on his cheeks.

"You…you…BAKA! Didn't your mom teach you to look to both sides before you cross the damn street?"

Ranma opened his mouth but he was too shocked for words. Here he was, staring at a very alive Akane, watching her as she scolded him for being careless while crossing the street. Was she not supposed to be alive and away from him? Was he not supposed to be a girl right now, without a memory of Akane at all?

Mistaking his shock for confusion, Akane frowned, bringing her hands to her chest in a praying fashion. "Oh, my god! Ranma, did you forget who you are? Please don't tell me you don't remember what happened?"

Not being able to form any comforting words, Ranma opened his mouth and said the only words that came to mind.

"Akane…Tendo…"

Akane smiled at his recognition of her, sending her to jump on him and hug him fiercely. Her affections, while not unwanted, reminded Ranma that he was still in a lot of pain.

"Ow, ow! Easy with the goods; it hurts."

Akane lifted herself, contorting her face to a look of guiltiness. "I'm sorry, Ranma! I'm just so happy you're alright."

Ranma nodded his understanding before the rest of the family showed up behind Akane. The young Tendo girl took a step back to allow Nodoka and the others to see with their own eyes that Ranma was going to be fine.

"Son, what in the world where you thinking? Do I have to remind you of the proper procedure to cross the street?" Nodoka asked, bringing her right hand to the handle of her katana.

Ranma shook his head furiously, stating that he would be more careful next time.

The family exchanged pleasantries with the young man as he just nodded along, wildly confused as to what was happening. After a few moments of chatter the family finally decided that Ranma needed to rest. Genma and Nodoka were called by the doctor in charge of Ranma's recovery, and the rest of the family made their way to the waiting room.

"Are you coming, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes, Onee-chan, in a moment."

"Don't take long, OK?"

Akane nodded as her elder sister closed the door behind her, clearly knowing that Akane wanted a moment alone with the boy that had just escaped certain death.

Akane sat on the edge of Ranma's bed as her hands found one of his and brought it to her lips. She placed a chaste kiss on his knuckles, allowing the tears she had been holding back to come in waterfalls.

"You scared me, Ranma! I can't believe you were so distracted you didn't see that truck coming!"

Ranma allowed himself to give Akane a reassuring smile. If this was a sick, twisted joke from the gods, he would surely make them pay for it afterwards, but for now he was going to enjoy the quiet moment with his fiancée. He had a million questions to ask, and another million things to say, but before this moment was cut short, he would say the only thing he wanted her to know for now. He took advantage of the hands that were holding his, and used it as a hook to pull Akane down to him. Akane followed his lead willingly, knowing exactly what he was aiming to do.

Once her lips were inches away, he smiled to her again, staring deeply into her eyes, trying to tell her how he felt with every sense of his body.

"I love you, Akane."

"I love you, Ranma."

And their lips finally met. The kiss was short, but intense; sweet, but passionate. It was the physical way Akane told Ranma how afraid she had been that he had left her alone for the rest of her life.

Once the kiss ended, she rested her head on his chest, welcoming the beats of his heart, and rise and lowering of his chest. "You really scared me, Ranma. I thought I'd lost you."

Ranma traced circles on her back with his right hand, as his left hand was still being held by Akane's tight grip. "What happened?"

"You were hit by a delivery truck."

"How? Where?"

Akane sighed, feeling her energy drained by the events of the day. "We were meeting at the ice cream parlor that is a few blocks from Tanaka's. You waved at me and didn't pay attention when you tried to cross the street and were hit. You tried to avoid it and somewhat did, but it still hit you a little."

Ranma closed his eyes, soothed by her calm voice. He still did not understand how he was now in the bed she had once been, dying with every breath she took. Yet, he knew he would rather it be him than her.

"Akane?"

"Yeah?"

"Before…before the ice cream…were we…are we…?"

"Together?" Akane finished for him. It surprised her how he could still be shy about their relationship after how intimate they had been during their trip to the mountain just a couple of weeks ago.

"Of course, silly. Why do you ask? Did you forget about that, too?"

"No, I mean. I was…dreaming…while I was out. I'm not sure what is real and what is not."

Akane lifted her head from his chest, exchanging the posture for lying on her side on Ranma's bed. Ranma welcomed the gesture and moved aside so that they both fit on the bed, lying side by side. "Why don't you tell me what you saw, and I'll tell you what's a dream and what's real, uh?"

Ranma nodded, afraid of what the consequences of sharing information would be, but at the same time needing to make sense of what was happening to them.

"You…I dreamt that you were mad at me, and ended this…"

Akane laughed. "That's definitely not true."

"OK, good. I also dreamt that Emi kissed me and you saw us…and ran away from me…"

Akane snorted this time. "Do you really think I would run away before beating the shit out of you AND her?"

"Good point."

"Anything else?"

Ranma swallowed hard. How was he supposed to ask if she remembered making a wish, which led to her dying, and then him exchanging his manhood and memories for her to live? He pretended to search his memory for anything else even though he knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

"How did we end up together?"

Akane scoffed. "Your charm, I guess. It happened after the failed wedding attempt our parents planned. It just…happened, slowly."

"I see…"

The two remained silent; staring into each other's eyes, hoping no one would barge in to break their moment of peace. Akane wondered what else was going through Ranma's mind. Ranma was slowly recapping the alternate universe he seemed to have woken up from. Akane did not remember her wish, or the ordeal with the nightmares and the demigod's intervention. Clearly, he was no longer in danger of being arrested, and Akane had swapped her place in the accident with him.

He then wondered –and feared, if this moment was just a dream. He was sure that he had made his intentions clear to Shikei-sama, and Shikei-sama himself had been clear with the terms of the exchange. Maybe he had gotten through to him and this was his last chance to be with Akane before he woke up as a woman in some strange city, never knowing of what he had lost.

What if he suddenly woke up to his new reality?

What if he woke up in his jail cell, surrounded by Ukyo, Ryouga, and the demigods?

He rid his mind of such depressing thoughts before reaching over to pull Akane close to him. She curled up against his chest, and he surrounded her in an embrace he pretended would prevent her from being taken from his side, yet again. He kissed her forehead and held her in place until consciousness took his awareness from his mind.

xxxXXXxxx

In a remote location in the middle of Nerima's forest, a small shed was the witness of a final convergence between two very old friends. The shed had been abandoned for many years, and the only sound surrounding it belonged to nature. No one would ever even think that a demigod, and a former demigod, had made the barely standing construction their temporary home.

Unmei sat inside the shed, cross legged, in front of his dying friend. Shukumei rested his back against a wall inside the shed, pretending that taking deep breaths did not hurt his brittle and weakening body. Having been devoid from the powers of the gods, his body had quickly begun to deteriorate. The once glorious demigod was now on the verge of moving on to the next world, dying a mortal death which would not grant him entrance to the heaven of the gods. The two partners had decided to stay at the secluded location to exchange memories of their times together as they waited for Shukumei's body and soul to depart from this world.

"Are you sure you want to stay here, Unmei? I am certain the gods are waiting your arrival to relay to them how we were unable to stop their plans."

Unmei stared at his friend, wondering if he should be told the truth. He had nothing to lose, and the news would surely better Shukumei's final moments on the mortal world. He had given up his eternal life for the pair, so he deserved to know they were going to be just fine.

Unmei placed his hand on Shukumei's shoulder; shaking it a little to make sure his friend was still with him. These were not only Shukumei's last moments of life in the mortal world, but also the last time Unmei would see his friend. Mortals and deities were not allowed to cohabit in the gods' world. In order for a deity to mingle with the mortals, a god would have to lose his powers –much like Shukumei had, or simply resign his or her post as a deity and _fall_ to the mortal world.

The consequences of falling, however, were painful and deathly. An older body would not be able to sustain itself in the mortal world, where it clearly did not belong, and would soon become weak and unstable such as Shukumei's had. The reward, however, would be to die a mortal's death and be able to join other mortals in the netherworld.

_"Who, however, would willingly fall to die a mortal's death?" _Unmei wondered.

"My friend, you seem far away from here," Shukumei said, bringing Unmei back from his inner wonderings.

"I am sorry, Shukumei. I was trying to determine how to relay the good news to you."

"Good news?"

"Yes, our couple is safe. The gods have been merciful and have forgiven their debts. The girl lives without recollection of her wish. The boy –Ranma, lives as well, but with the complete memory of the ordeal he and his partner suffered."

Shukumei frowned as he tried to make sense of what Unmei had just shared with him. He was happy that in the end, the couple was able to remain together, but he feared the implications or possible exchanges that had to take place for such a thing to occur.

"How is that possible? How was he able to accomplish such feat?"

Unmei shook his head, chuckling at his friend's selective memory. "How else do you think he did? The same way you did. The same reason why you choose to help Akane is the same reason why they are still together today."

Shukumei searched his memory, trying to make sense of what Unmei was saying. His eyes suddenly widened at the realization that his intentions had been known to his friend all along. He knew his mistake was a thing of the past, and had occurred well before Unmei's time, yet he would not put it past other demigods releasing such precious information to him.

Unmei saw in his friends' eyes that he understood what he had meant, and gave him a reassuring smile to show him he had no feelings other than sadness for his incoming passing. No judgment would come from his friend today. "It makes sense, though, why you were so keen to help her. She's her daughter, is she not?"

Shukumei's head fell. He felt ashamed, caught red-handed. This entire mess had been the result of his selfish dreams, his unpaid dues, and he had dragged his loyal companion through hell to see it thru.

"The boy, Ranma, why did you not tell him it was the girl's mother you saved back then?"

"There was no time, and it was irrelevant to him. He only needed to know of the type of sacrifice to expect. I wish someone would have told me before I committed my own."

Unmei nodded. "Are you happy now, though? You will get to see her again. After all these years, you get to be together again."

Shukumei shook his head. "She has paid her dues to life, and she will remain in the netherworld, never to reincarnate again. I was not part of her most recent life experience, so she is not waiting for me. She is waiting for Soun. She will not even know who I am, or that I existed, ever, in her life."

Unmei understood what he meant. The woman his friend had fallen in love with, had become engaged to, a long time ago, had moved on. He had exchanged his life for hers, and she would never know the sacrifice the demigod had made.

"Well," Unmei began, "At least_ he_ will not get to be with her either."

Shukumei nodded, remembering the entire ordeal of the past. Shikei-sama, the God of Death, had broken every law the gods had set in place for themselves. He had fallen in love with a mortal, a mortal he had followed for a long time until her untimely death. The mortal woman was engaged, happy, with her fiancée, who in turn gave up his life to save hers. Her fiancée who spent the next hundreds of years serving the same god that had caused her demise.

"It is not entirely his fault, you know? The gods took her as a punishment for his weakness. They did not want him to fall to the mortal world for her."

"It is nonsense, Shukumei! She had you, he had no chance!"

"He did not see it that way. He thought he did, but Kyōdaina-sama and Itazura-sama made the final call. I am surprised he forgave them for what they did. I know I did not."

Unmei stood up from his position and walked closer to his friend who had now begun to slide to his side. He rested his friend's weight on his side, providing some final comfort for him. "I do not think he forgave them, friend."

"What makes you think that?" Shukumei asked slurring his words a little as his body gave up on life.

"He is the reason why they are back to normal. He…_fell_."

If Shukumei had had a gist of his former energy left, he would have jumped to his feet and waved his hands in the air. All he could do now, however, was to grumble his disapproval of seeing Shikei-sama in the netherworld, causing Unmei to chuckle.

"Do not worry, Shukumei. He too will die a mortal's death, sooner or later, and will have to rely on talking to her, or seeing her from afar. Soun's time is near, relatively."

"What about Ranma? Why was he allowed to remember everything?"

"Sick twist from Shikei-sama, no doubt. Perhaps he wanted Ranma to learn the lesson the he and you learned the difficult way. Ranma, for his part, has decided to never again attempt to cure his curse. He calls it a pay of respect for the chance he has been given."

"I believe I can live with that. His life would have not been as amusing to us had it not been for his curse."

"Indeed, my friend."

"Unmei?"

"Yes?"

"I am very tired. I will close my eyes for a moment, alright?"

Unmei swallowed down the knot in his throat. He knew what Shukumei had meant.

"Go ahead, friend. Go ahead."

xxxXXXxxx

"Ranma, hurry up! We are gonna miss the train!"

"I would hurry up if you hadn't brought your entire WARDROBE with you!"

"Shut up and hurry!"

"Tomboy!"

Akane and Ranma ran towards the train that would take them back to their secluded region in the mountains of Nerima. The summer had finally arrived and with it their last vacation as students of Furinkan. Next year, they were both going to be seniors, and would have to worry about college applications next summer rather than where they would spend their break.

"Akane, hold up, I can't find the tickets."

Akane stopped in her tracks, turning back and glaring at her fiancée. "For the love of God, Ranma! You said you had them when we left the house!"

"I did, it's just…here, hold these."

Ranma handed Akane a couple of their bags as he dropped the remaining bags on the ground and patted himself as he searched for the tickets. Akane waited for him to search as she stared at the train with nervous eyes. She did not want the train to leave without them. She had been waiting for this ever since Ranma told her they were taking a longer trip to _their _place.

"Dammit, where the hells are they?" Ranma cursed under his breath. He was about to give up and tell Akane he had no idea where he had left the tickets when someone called his attention behind him. Ranma turned around and saw a tall man, staring at him with a couple of tickets in his hand.

"Young sir, I believe you dropped these back there."

Ranma stared at the tickets in the man's hand, clearly showing his and Akane's name on them. He carefully grabbed them and looked up to stare at the man one more time. Ranma had the distinct feeling he knew the man from somewhere, but he could not pinpoint exactly where from. As the final boarding bell rung, Akane ran to Ranma and shook his shoulder.

"Ranma! Did you find them?"

Ranma nodded as he continued to stare at the man, suddenly realizing where he had seen him before.

"Let's go! They're gonna leave us behind, Ranma!"

Ranma again nodded as he picked up the bags he had left on the floor, giving the man the most grateful stare he could muster. With a final nod, Ranma turned his back to the man before running towards Akane who had one foot on the train as she held the door open for him.

"What took you so long?"

Ranma jumped inside the train and dropped the bags on the floor before grabbing her hands with his, and placing a kiss on each hand. Akane realized something had visibly upset him, and returned the firm grip he had on her.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, just can't wait for us to get there."

"Are you sure?"

Ranma smiled. "Yup, I have a surprise for you when we get there."

"What is it?"

Ranma leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"It's a surprise."

Akane giggled on his ear as she surrounded his waist with her arms, holding on to her fiancée for the rest of the ride.

* * *

**A/N:** Don't forget to read the Epilogue ;)


	34. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Akane Tendo was still in awe at the events that had transpired last night, making it difficult for her to go back to sleep while it was still dark outside. She and Ranma had arrived to their isolated place only to find that a small cabin had been built on the premises, providing even more secluded comfort for the couple. It had been perfectly placed between the rows of trees and the small lake, with the mountain behind it as its tall guardian and cover.

Inside the cabin, all needed amenities for the area were proudly showcased, while still depicting a modest living style: a comfortable couch opposing a wood-burning fireplace; a small kitchen with a wood-burning stove; facilities; and, an even more comfortable bed for two. The outside of the cabin sported a narrow porch where two rocking chairs lay, inviting anyone near them to take a moment to relax and enjoy the sounds of nature, and the view of the stars above.

Ranma had known about the addition to his old hiding place, as he had been the one to mandate its building using the lawsuit funds the family was receiving from the Tatewaki, and with the help from a reluctant –read slightly _jealous_, Nabiki to coordinate the efforts. Ever since their return from this same mountain, Ranma had been saving up some of the funds from his part-time job so that one day he would have enough capital to build the cabin; turns out the dream was realized much sooner than anticipated when Akane had suffered the accident at school. From all of the bad situations Akane had to go through that the gods did not undo, Ranma was somewhat happy for this particular experience to remain intact, as it meant building the cabin sooner rather than later.

Akane had thought the cabin had been the surprise Ranma had been talking about, but, boy, had she been wrong!

After a hot bath in the springs, and a massage provided by Ranma himself, they had both sat down for dinner that Ranma had caught and cooked for them. As Akane kept talking about their plans for the summer and for the next school year, Ranma had remained silent and attentive, trying to masquerade his nervousness for what was about to happen. It was not until Akane asked for his input on what will happen between them with their parents and their forced engagement that Ranma finally snapped back to reality and walked up to Akane.

To get down on one knee.

And had taken out a ring.

And had proposed.

And Akane had woken up today feeling the weight of the ring around her finger, relishing the moment of proposal, and the time they had spent together afterwards. She was afraid she had woken up to just a dream, but the ring was still present, and the fact that Ranma was lying next to her, with one arm thrown around her waist was proof enough that she had not dreamed it at all.

She and Ranma were engaged, by their own choosing this time, and Akane could not ask for anything more from life. Shampoo was gone, so was Kodachi, and Ukyo had finally accepted defeat when Ranma had asked for help to choose the ring he would buy for Akane. Nabiki was leaving for college in a month, bringing some normalcy to their lives, and she and Ranma would become seniors next year, allowing them to leave school early and perhaps providing the time to revamp the dojo. Everything was finally falling into place for them, and Akane could only wish she remained as happy for the rest of her days.

Then again, the thought of _wishing_ for something rather than working hard to make it happen, made her feel a rather unsettling emotion inside.

_"I don't need to wish for what I already have_," she thought before closing her eyes and enjoying the company of her official fiancée for the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, that was hard to do. I didn't want the drama to end! Oh, well, I have an entire fic in Fix You to release my drama plot bunnies. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and stuck to this _high-on-crack_ story until the end. I hope you follow our favorite couple in Fix You, to learn about their new adventure there. In fact, in a way, and without the godly powers, we are just like Unmei and Shukumei, watching our reality's anime/manga characters jump through hoops to keep us entertained, don't you think? ;)


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